Alternate Ending
by xshrimpyx
Summary: Can James every truly give up on Lily? Can Lily ever learn to love James? What happens when fate seems determined to throw them together. My version of how Lily and James faced 7th year and their changing feelings towards life, love and each other.
1. Sixth year drama

**Hi this is my first ever fanfic and I promise it will get better. Please leave a comment…******

**Disclaimer-Sadly this all belongs to the fabulous J.K Rowling. If you don't recognise the character it probably belongs to my imagination though.**

**Happy reading! Don't forget to drop a line to tell me how to improve or give me ideas or something ******

**BTW this takes place at the end of the sixth year (sorry if it's a bit confusing). **

Lily stood shaken, in the same place where James had left her. Her mouth was hanging open, her green eyes wide with shock. Potter had never shouted back at her like that. He would never say a bad word against her. Something felt wrong. Lily sunk to the ground, the words replaying in her head. A tear dripped down her face as her friends hurried over, pushing through the crowd that was gossiping about what had happened. Her best friends Alice and Mary quickly crouched beside her. "Lily, sweetie what just happened?!" A surge of anger flew through Lily's body again; she scrubbed at her face furiously and stood up. "Potter was just being a prat as usual!" Lily sniffed and threw them a haughty look. Alice and Mary exchanged worried looks as they followed Lily through the crowd of students.

James sprinted through the forest and out of sight. The tears unshed tears burnt his eyes and throat; rendering it impossible to see anything. In a pop he was a stag galloping through the forest, not caring where it was going. The words replayed in his head; I hate you so much…never go out with you…cruellest…you're such a fake… conceited prat; like a never ending movie. Galloping on he did not care that his legs where getting cut by the vines and twigs whipping at them. Stumbling on a tree root he was flung forward, off a grassy verge. His body hit the ground and all went black for James.

"EVANS!" Sirius roared. He raged over to her and pulled her off the sofa. "WHERE'S JAMES!?" Sirius started shaking her and Lily gave a squeal of fright. "I…i don't know." Lily stuttered in fright. "Don't give me that bullshit Evans. Tell me where my Goddamn best friend is! What have you done to him!?" Sirius banged his fist on the glass table and shattered it. Lily jumped back and tried to squirm out of his grip but it was too strong. Fire was burning in Sirius' usually calm grey eyes; hatred for Lily. For the person who had hurt his best friend. Sirius squeezed her harder, the blood from his fist smearing onto her arm. He sneered maliciously, "Am I hurting you?" Lily nodded scared; wondering what had happened to Sirius. Never had she seen him like this. "Good," He hissed, his voice harsh. "You deserve this. You deserve to feel pain like you caused James. You don't deserve James, he's so much more than you can ever be and God help you if I find you do something to him again I will kill you." Lily nodded numbly, not doubting for a second he wouldn't. "What did you do to him?" Sirius spat, his eyes narrowed 

dangerously. Lily sniffed back a tear and tilted her head upwards, "Well he asked me out and…" Sirius roared and threw Lily backwards onto the sofa. He advanced on her and Lily looked around frantically.

Suddenly Remus appeared at the portrait hole; he hurried over to a revenge bent Sirius and lay a hand on his shoulder. "Not now Sirius, James is our first concern." Sirius threw Remus' hand off and turned to his friend, "No. She needs to feel pain. She deserves to have his pain. It's all her fault!"

"Remus help!" Came Lily's whimper when Sirius drew his wand. "Sirius!" Remus barked sharply. "She is not even worth it." Remus said coldly, he glanced at Lily and saw hurt in her emerald eyes. "Remus?" She called softly, her eyes still trained on Sirius who was slowly putting his wand away. "I'm sorry Lily. You went too far this time." With that Remus walked out of the common room. Sirius gave her one last threatening glare before following him.

Lily cracked open an eye upon hearing voices. She blinked and let her emerald eyes focus as she sat up. She ran a hand through her messy hair and stared curiously at two pairs of shoes. Lily uttered a scream and jumped off the couch as she came face to face with a furious Sirius and their grave headmaster. "Professor, I'm sorry I was just…" Lily scrambled to her feet as she glared at Sirius. Lily took a deep breath; straightening her tie and pulling down her crumpled skirt Lily eyed the headmaster worriedly. "Is something…_wrong _professor?" Lily asked hesitantly her gaze flickering between Sirius and Dumbledore. "Yes there bloody well is!" Sirius burst out, unable to stop himself any longer. Dumbledore put a restraining hand on Sirius' shoulder and spoke softly, "Sirius please, I know your upset but please do not wake the whole of the Gryffindor." Sirius' eyes calmed slightly and he gave an acknowledging nod. "Miss Evans if you would please come with me to my office." Lily looked around bewilderedly before nodding. She slipped on her shoes and followed Sirius and Dumbledore out of the porthole.

Sirius sauntered through the door; rearing right he threw himself on one of the two armchairs opposite Dumbledore's desk. Lily hurried after him and daintily sat on the edge of the second chair. Sirius leapt to his feet, "What are you doing!?" He asked icily. Lily looked confused, "Sitting down?" Sirius grabbed her arm and forced her out of the chair, "Not on that chair you're not!" Sirius dropped her arm as Lily regarded him stonily. "May I ask why not?" She questioned with fake politeness. "That," Sirius jabbed at the armchair, "It's Prong's seat." Lily scoffed, "I don't see his name on it!" Sirius let out a humourless chuckle and informed her that it actually did have his name on it. "See," Sirius traced the nameplate lightly, "Prong's chair." He walked over to the other armchair towing Lily after him. "My chair." "Fine. May I sit in that seat or is it Remus'!?" She enquired icily. He spread himself over his chair and waved his hand. "Go ahead."

"Miss Evan's, it's come to my attention that you had a…disagreement with Mr Potter at lunch time. Is that correct?" Lily's eyes flashed widely before she answered tightly, "Yes." Sirius flung himself out of his seat, "Professor! We're wasting time! Please!" Sirius sank back into his chair and put his head in his hands. Dumbledore crouched beside Sirius and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Sirius, Sirius look at me." Sirius raised his head and looked at Dumbledore with hollow eyes. "We will find him." Sirius clenched his fists and gave out a sob which startled Lily. "He took the map. And the cloak." 

Dumbledore's eyes were unreadable as he took in this information. Lily looked around confused, her eyes landed on Sirius who was shaking and her forehead creased in worry. "Professor, who will we find?" Lily asked timidly, the anxiety evident in her tone. Dumbledore looked up and surveyed Lily over his half moon spectacles. "Mr. Potter is missing." Lily gasped and her whole body went numb. "Wwhaat?" Lily said in disbelieve. "James is missing Evans! Gone!" He barked sharply. Sirius slumped back in his chair and ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. Lily was about to retort when she saw the pain in Sirius' eyes. Taking a deep breath, she regarded Dumbledore. "What has this got to do with me?" "We need to know what happened with James this lunch time." Confusion and anger flashed through Lily's eyes. She gripped the seat but did not say anything. "Please Miss Evans, it might help us locate him." Lily sighed and glanced at Sirius who was still shaking and nodded.

_flashback_

_Lily was talking to a 5__th__ year Gryffindor as she saw James approaching. Biting back a groan she turned her head and pretended she hadn't seen him. When she looked back up he had sauntered down to the lake and was running a hand through his already windswept hair. He stopped short of Lily and flashed her a cocky smile, "You're looking fine today Evans! Go out with me?" James shouted to Lily. He charmed a bouquet of roses out of thin air and fell to his knees beside the lake. Lily's face turned an unflattering shade of red as she pushed past the Gryffindor and stormed over to James; she slapped him viciously, a red imprint becoming visible on his face. James raised a hand to his cheek wordlessly, his hazel orbs unreadable. "POTTER GET IT THROUGH YOU'RE BIG FAT HEAD!! I WILL NEVER GO OUT WITH YOU…EVER! YOU ARE THE CRUELEST MOST SPOLIT, EGOLTISICAL JERK I HAVE EVER MET! I HATE YOU!" Lily screamed at James who was still clutching his cheek. "No please," James begged, reaching out for Lily, "DON'T TOUCH ME!" She screeched, "GOD I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO MUCH! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE? YOU'RE SUCH A FAKE! YOU DON'T LOVE ME, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME! YOU JUST PUT IT ON FOR THE ATTENTION!" Lily took in a ragged breath and glanced over to James. _

_She recoiled when she saw the anger sparked in his eyes. James rose from his knees and threw the flowers on the floor. He glared at them and they burst into flames. The crowd that was gathered took a step back and Lily stared at the flowers with wide-eyes. James leant close to Lily, re-capturing her attention and hissed, "I do love you. I never faked it. But I don't know why I even bother with you, you're just a heartless bitch!" Lily cheeks heated up and her fists were curled into balls. Unconsciously she stepped back, so that her back pressing against the tree trunk. James took a step closer and Lily narrowed her eyes. _

"_Well at least I'm not a show off, a toerag, slacking, conceited, bullying, prat!" Lily sneered and James clenched his fist and punched the bark, just above Lily's head. Lily shrunk against the tree trunk, her face paling and James gave a bitter laugh, "Oh that's rich. Of course I'll never be good enough for little miss perfect. God, you're such a hypocrite! You go on with how you have to give everybody a fair chance but where is my chance. Huh? You think you've got me all figured out, well how come nobody else shows your view. I'm not like that, you've just got some twisted opinion of me in your mind. I may not be perfect but I am real. But I'll leave you alone; don't worry your perfect little head about anybody else but you. _

_God knows if you're even capable of feeling for anybody else except yourself. But I'm gone. Goodbye forever." James turned around and stormed off towards the forbidden forest. _

_end of flashback_

Lily looked up and bit her lip. Peeking over at Sirius she discovered he was no longer shaking with emoticon rather he was now back to blind fury. Lily shrunk into her chair, avoiding Dumbledore's piercing gaze. Sirius clenched his fists tightly, his finger nails digging into his palm but remained in his chair. Only his livid grey eyes and tense body showed his real emotions. "Thank you Miss Evans, you may go now." He raised his eyebrows when Lily did not get out of her seat. "But…he" Dumbledore breathed heavily and gave the apprehensive Sirius a calming look. "Sirius will go retrieve Remus and Peter, I believe they are looking for James in the dungeons." Dumbledore added and Sirius gave a tight nod. Dumbledore turned his gaze back to Lily, "And then they will find James and take him back to their dorm." "But you can let _them _go into the forest!" "Oh I assure you they will be quite safe." Lily saw a twinkle of mischief return to her headmaster's eyes and her eyebrows knitted together. "But professor!" Lily exclaimed but Sirius got there before he could answer. "Evans just go! You've done enough!" He said coldly challenging her to disagree. Lily bit her lip and dropped her head; reminding herself it was only because he was upset. "Miss Evans, go back to your dormitory." Dumbledore said softly yet firmly. Lily nodded and left the room without another word.


	2. Finding James

Hey everybody! I'll presume you read the first chapter if your reading this so thanks!

Anyways I do not own Harry Potter no matter how much I want to. One day I will but for now it belongs to the fabulous J.K Rowling :P

Chapter 2

Finding James

Sirius loped away from his friends in his dog form. Intend on finding James he flew across the cold ground, his paws barely touching the grass. He was no longer aware of his friends' footsteps sprinting after him, the only think he could here was the blood pounding in his ears as he desperately followed James scent. Weaving in and out of the trees he did not break his stride as he lost James scent, but put his head down and urged himself faster until he picked it up again. Sirius suddenly lurched to a stop, panting, and swiftly ran round a tree twice before stopping and glancing up. His head snapped down and the grey gaze covered the area quickly. Sirius leapt to the edge of the verge and his heart stopped. Giving a heart wrenching howl, he skidded down the bank and transformed back into a human.

Sirius stared at the stag in horror as a feeling of foreboding swept over his body. He knelt down beside the creature who was bleeding from the head and had numerous scratches down its legs. "Prongs! Prongs wake up!" He cried hoarsely. He pressed his head to the stag's chest and sighed in relief as he heard a pulse. He scooped the stag up carefully and stumbled back up the bank. "MOONY! WORMTAIL! I HAVE HIM!" He fell to his knees as his friends came running up to him, breathing heavily. Remus stared at James with wide eyes, "Why is he a stag?!" Sirius shook his head, "I don't know!" "I'll go tell Dumbledore we found him and you and Wormtail take him to our dorm. Ok?" Sirius and Peter nodded and Remus ran out of sight.

James opened his eyes to a strangely clear room. He heard voices talking loudly and turned his head. An acute pain made him drop his head again. He lifted his hand up to rub his head only to find a hoof instead. He tried to let out a scream but only managed a muffled rumble from the back of his throat. This was the moment his friends realised he was awake. Relief washed over all of them and Sirius leapt on James bed hugging him fiercely not caring he was still an animal…or not realising James wasn't sure which. In any case he swiped Sirius with a hoof and he immediately let go, affronted as he rubbed his cheek.

James closed his eyes tightly and though of being a human again. In a second he was stretching his long limbs and Sirius, Remus and Peter were all hugging him. James groaned as his head pounded and they all released him, "Water," he croaked. With a swish of his wand Remus produced a glass of water and was holding it in place for James to drink from. "Thanks." He said wiping his mouth on his dirty sleeve. The other three looked at him expectantly and James groaned, "Please…I'm fine." He avoided eye contact as he got up to use the bathroom and the others exchanged worried looks. "What…what happened 

yesterday, with Lily?" Remus asked hesitantly, watching carefully as James' body tensed. "Nothing." Sirius scoffed and pushed himself of James' bed. He strode over to James and placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him round so they were face to face. "Mate, Evans told me what happened." Sirius watched James face but it remained devoid of any emotion. "It's not true Prongs, not one bit." James shrugged off Sirius and disappeared back into the bathroom. "You can tell them what happened, Padfoot. I don't care." His voice seemed indifferent but they all heard the slight tremble as he said it.

Lily walked down the stairs with Mary and Alice. Her silence went unnoticed as they chatted away oblivious to what had taken place last night. Sirius' distraught eyes and shaking body swarm in front of her vision as they had been doing all night. She hadn't been able to yet the image of that out of her mind and as a result had not sleep at all last night. She had waited for any signs that the Marauders had returned with James but she hadn't heard anything. She couldn't stop feeling guilty; she'd reminded herself that everything she said was true but the knot in the bottom of her stomach had not gone away. Sighing she followed Alice and Mary into the Great Hall. They sat down in their usual spaces; the other end of the table from the Marauders, the one closest to the entrance. She looked down the table and the knot in her stomach tightened as she saw none of the Marauders were there. Taking some bacon and putting it onto her plate, she chewed it trying to gain an air of thoughtfulness. It appeared to be working as her friends left her to her thoughts and chatted to some Gryffindor boys, unaware of her inner turmoil. Lily glanced up at the teachers table and her gaze landed on the headmaster. He was drumming his long fingernails on the wooden table and had not touched the pile of food on his plate. His face seemed older today as it the lines were etched more deeply into his skin and there were black bags under his eyes. As the doors of the Great Hall opened again you could see all the girls immediately turn their attention to the boy who has just walked in. Today however he ignored the giggling girls calling out for him and headed straight to the teacher's table with Remus and Peter. Lily watched Sirius as he talked to Dumbledore and gestured out the door. Professor Dumbledore pushed back his chair and climbed down the platform. The three Marauders made to follow him but he held up a hand and said something, pointing to the food. She saw Sirius shake his head but Remus pulled him down. On the way down Remus caught her eye, Lily gave him a smile but he did not return it. He ducked his head and poured a glass of pumpkin juice. I guess I'm not forgiven yet, Lily thought.

The Marauders did not play any more pranks that year. They hardly ever laughed or make jokes. James looked sullen all the time and didn't talk much. Sirius didn't go out with any more girls, he didn't flirt or smile at them. Remus became quieter, not talking to anybody outside of the Marauders. Peter still did their bidding gladly, but it was clear that he disliked the sudden changes in his friends. He also became quieter, his friendly eyes lost their shine and he resorted to nods as a way of communication. James didn't ask Lily out. In fact he didn't even go near Lily, though even if he wanted to he couldn't. His friends escorted him everywhere, circling round him like bodyguards. They ignored Lily, Lily ignored them. She told herself that they would be back to pulling pranks anytime and irritating her. But they never did. As the end of the year approached rapidly the school seemed to lose all of its' life and 

excitement. The Marauders new attitude was affecting the whole school and Lily didn't like it. She also still refused to admit it was all her fault. Her friends tried to get out of her what was said on that fateful day but Lily wouldn't say a word about it. Eventually they gave up, but Lily could still here the whole school whispering about how she had destroyed the Marauders and especially James Potter. If she as honest Lily could see James had changed, there was no hint of his cocky smile, teasing tone or twinkling hazel eyes. But as Lily reminded herself often it was not her fault, probably just another plan to make her fall in love with him.

The end of the year came with no change and as they all went home Lily eventually forgot about what had happened that day at the lake. James however had no luck, the words still haunted his dreams and so he made a pact. To give up on Lily Evans. To not talk to her if possible and to keep as far away from her as possible. Although as James would later find out, this was not as easy as it sounded.

**What did you think?**

**Leave me a comment, thanks for reading ******


	3. You have 1 new owl

Hey thanks again for reading J

Disclaimer- Ok hugely humungous house-check, rolling in cash-check, really famous-check, completely amazing award winning books…oh damn I left them on holiday. No my names not J.K Rowling

Third Chappie people!

You have _one__new__owl_

"Prongs! Wake up!" Sirius bellowed in James' ear as he bounced up and down on his bed, like a child on Christmas morning. James, not bothering to open his eyes, reached out and smacked Sirius on the side of the head. "I'm trying to sleep you filthy mongrel!" James growled and Sirius gasped loudly before running out of the room. James smiled sleepily and snuggled back into his bed. It was peaceful for a couple of minutes before James heard footsteps on the landing and then entering his room.

"Sirius?" He asked, afraid when nobody answered him because as he knew from 6 years of living with him a quiet Sirius was most dangerous. He cracked open a eye to see a dark shape looming in front of him before a glass of water was chucked in his face. James cried in protest and Sirius took a couple of quick steps back. "You'd better start running!" James snarled and Sirius' eyes became wide as James threw off his covers and hurled himself at Sirius. "Mummy Potter, Mummy Potter! James is attacking meeeeeeeee!" Sirius screamed in a high pitched voice as he sprinted out the room and down the stairs, James following in hot pursuit. Hearing crashing behind him, Sirius chanced a look at James to see him throwing various heavy objects at his back. When one hit him on the ankle, James gave a triumphant cry and Sirius squealed as he fell headlong down the stairs. He quickly scrambled up and hopped into the kitchen. Hugging her from behind, Sirius used Mrs. Potter as a shield when James came barrelling into the room, a wild look in his hazel eyes and a book in his hand. "James!" Mrs. Potter scolded, "I hope that isn't meant for Sirius!" James scowled at Sirius who was peeking out from behind Mrs. Potter's apron but put the heavy volume down on the kitchen counter and dumped himself into a seat.

Mrs. Potter wagged her finger at James, "Now James, stop laying about and set the table." She said before adding, "Sirius has already helped me make breakfast!" Sirius smiled smugly as Mrs. Potter patted his head fondly. James grumbled but stood up and started to set the table. Sirius walked over James, took half of the cutlery and proceeded in helping James set the table. "Thanks mate." Sirius shrugged, "I would expect you to do the same for me." James grinned and shook his head. Mrs. Potter looked over at Sirius diligently setting the table, "Such a sweet boy." She murmured but Sirius heard. He set down the rest of the cutlery and made his way over to Mrs. Potter. Sirius wrapped his arms around her, bending down he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thanks again for letting me stay this summer Mrs. P." Mrs. Potter pulled back from his embrace and looked into his warm grey eyes, "Sirius you will _always _have a home here." Sirius pulled her tighter and buried his head into her shoulder, trying to hide his eyes which where rapidly getting wetter.

This was how Mr. Potter found them. Sirius and his wife embracing tightly while James sat at the kitchen table reading the book he had previously tried to throw at Sirius. "Sirius son, if you don't let go of my wife I'm gonna have to fight you for her." Mr. Potter joked and Sirius lifted his head and smirked, 

releasing Mrs. Potter. "I can take you!" He lunged forward punching the air in front of Mr. Potter's face. Mr. Potter grinned and ruffled his hair. He went and kissed his wife on the cheek, "Mmm, is that pancakes I smell?"

Lily smiled and stretched as the early morning sunlight warmed her face. Throwing off her covers she swung her legs off her bed and padded to the bathroom. She splashed some water onto her face and patted it dry. She smiled at her reflection and grabbed her toothbrush; putting some toothpaste on it she shoved it in her mouth and started to brush. Lily hummed as she wandered into the hall way brushing her teeth. She was dreaming about school, seeing her friends again and newts. Closing her eyes she leant against the doorframe of her room, relishing in the coolness of it against her warm face.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she spat out her toothpaste and dropped her brush. She let out a scream and flew down the stairs. She sprinted into the kitchen looking around it frantically. "DAD! Dad has my owl come yet!?" Mr. Evans raised an eyebrow at his crazed daughter. "No, not yet why?" Lily slumped into a well worn armchair and breathed a sigh of relief. "My Hogwarts letter is coming today." She fiddled with her hands, not meeting her fathers' eye. Mr. Evans sat down on the edge of the armchair and wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders, pulling her to his chest. He stroked her hair, "Lily darling you're getting head girl." Lily looked up, the shine come back to her emerald orbs. "Do you really think so? I mean there are so many girls who could get it! " Lily whispered. "Baby girl they would have to be idiots not to pick you." "Well my school is a bit weird." Mr. Evans laughed, "A bit? But don't worry darling, everything will be ok. Remember what ever happens your mother and I will be so proud of you!" Lily smiled and nodded and her dad kissed her head before leaving the room. Lily sighed and settled down with a book to watch for her owl.

"Wames!" Sirius mumbled his mouth full of pancake. "Siri! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Mrs. Potter scolded him, "Sworry!" Mrs. Potter shook her head and bit back a smile. Sirius gulped down his pancakes, "Prongs, I forgot to tell you. The Hogwarts letters are coming today." James paled considerably, his eyes widened and he put down his fork, "Today!?" "Yup! It's Tuesday." James gave him a weird look and glanced out of the window. The sky was empty. Picking up every bodies plates, including Sirius half full one he dumped them in the sink. "I was eating that!" Sirius moaned, pouting his lip. James rolled his eyes and flung himself into the armchair by the window. Mr and Mrs Potter quietly left the room as Sirius made his way over to James. He put a comforting hand on his shoulder and James ripped his gaze away from the sky and onto his best friend. "Padfoot, this…this is our last year." "Well done captain obvious!" Sirius laugh dried on his lips as he saw how serious **(excuse the pun :P)** James was being. "Don't worry Prongs, we're gonna make this the best year ever!" He smiled earnestly and James smiled back at him. Flopping down beside James Sirius asked, "So as you are going to be Quidditch captain for the third year in a row are you going to go easy on us 7th years?" Sirius' hopeful smile dropped off his face when James whacked him on the head. "I'll take that as a no then?" James didn't bother replying.

Lily craned her neck, seeing a black dot in the distance. She gripped her chair so tightly her knuckles went white, while her eyes fixed on the black shape coming swiftly closer. Her eyes widened as the distinctive shape of an owl flew over the roof of her neighbours' house. Lily flung open the window and the owl glided it. She shakily untied the letter with fumbling fingers and the owl flew off. Lily stared at the envelope that contained her future. She opened it with trembling fingers and reached into it withdrawing a red badge with the letter HG engraved on it. "MUM! DAD! I GOT HEAD GIRL I GOT HEAD GIRL!" Lily screamed while jumping up and down, happiness radiating off her skin and tears glistening in her eyes. Her parents ran in and enveloped her in a hug.

Petunia stalked into the kitchen, Mr and Mrs Evans released Lily. "Petunia, guess what!? Lily was made head girl!" They beamed proudly at their youngest daughter. "Congratulations now your head of the entire freak school!" Petunia sneered at Lily who eyes watered again, but not from joy. "Petunia, apologize!" Mrs. Evans ordered but Lily shook her head. "Don't make her apologize if she doesn't mean it." Lily grabbed her letter and badge and ran out of the room up to the sanctuary of her bedroom.

"Pad!" James nudged Sirius who jerked awake at once. He looked around wildly, "What?" James pointed to the sky where two owls were swooping side by side, right towards their house. James raked a hand through his messy head, a sure sign he was nervous. Sirius and James scrambled up as the owls flew through the window and landed on the table. James fumbled trying to undo the envelope names _James Potter _and wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers. Sirius rolled his eyes and shoved him aside, pulling the letter of the bird with one tug. He held it out and James snatched it easily. Sirius pulled out two chairs and pushed James into one before sitting in the other. James ripped open the envelope and shoved his fingers into it. His face broke into a wide grin as he pulled out a red badge. "See mate, Quidditch captain again! I mean really who did you think was going to be it, Riley!?" Sirius and James both laughed at the thought of Riley being Quidditch captain. James stroked the badge lovingly and dumped his package on the table. It clinked. "What was that?" Sirius frowned, "I have no idea." James replied, shrugging. Sirius picked up the envelope and looked into it. His eyes became huge as he pulled out another bigger red badge. This time with the initials HB engraved onto them. James jaw fell open as he and Sirius stared at the badge. "Head Boy!?" James croaked, wide eyed, "Me!?" Sirius laughed nervously as he inspected the badge, "Dumbledore got to be off his rocker! I mean who in the right mind would make _you_ head boy!?" "No-one!" James exclaimed still ogling the badge. "There has got to be a mistake." "I know I'll write to Dumbledore!" Sirius decided, grabbing a quill and some parchment. James rummaged through his envelope and produced a letter that said _Sirius Black_ on it. "Wait, you have a letter." Sirius removed it from James hand and tore it open. He started reading:

"Dear Sirius,

I assume as you are reading this letter you have found out that I appointed James head boy.

No, I am not crazy, nor had James threatened me. I assure you I am completely in my right mind. " Here James snorted, turning it into a cough when Sirius glared at him.

"It is my honest belief that James will make an excellent head boy. Although many of my colleges think this is not I wise course of action I think that James has all the right qualities to lead the school. Especially in these dark times, the students of Hogwarts need a role model who is strong, courageous, kind, responsible, helpful but also one who can command and take control of situations where normal people may panic. Also James extensive knowledge of the hiding places and passageways will help him on patrol. It will be hard work, there is no doubt about it, as I have also made him Quidditch captain again but there is not a doubt in my mind that he can't do it. Who know maybe between him and Remus he may be able to control you. Although I must admit I do find your pranks quite amusing." Sirius and James both grinned; Dumbledore had always had a soft spot for their pranks. Not punishing them if he could help it.

"Maybe even In the midst of all he will have to take on this year, his true love may seem him for what he really is. Lily Evans will be working side by side with James this year, so give him some advice from me. Don't mess this up!" Sirius burst into loud laughter while James looked horrified. Sirius continued reading.

"I'm sure Remus knows why it would be impossible for him to be head boy. I know he will understand and support James, as I expect you and Peter will too.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore"

"So you're really head boy then, no mistake." "I guess so." James mumbled, admiring his badge. Mr. Potter strolled into the room to find James fingering the head boy badge. "It's a bit bigger than the normal Quidditch captain badges. Have they changed them?" Mr. Potter questioned, looking confused when James shot Sirius a 'what do I do now' look. Sirius shrugged in response. "Umm dad, this might come as a bit of a shock," James cringed, "but I for some weird reason…have been made head boy." Mr. Potter's mouth dropped before he quickly gathered himself and grinned pulling James into a hug. "Congrats son. You'll make a fine head boy. Maybe you'll finally be able to keep Sirius under control!" He laughed ruffling Sirius hair while winking at James. "I don't know why everybody keeps saying that! I have to keep James in line, he is a troublemaker!" Sirius protested and they all laughed. Mrs. Potter walked in, "I guess the Hogwarts letters have come." She beamed, "Well, did you get Quidditch captain?" James grinned and nodded. "Yup, guess what else." He handed his mother the badge and she gasped. "Head Boy! I am so proud of you!" She embraced James tightly before holding out an arm for Sirius who was looking a little left out. He crawled over to Mrs. Potter and put an arm around James, hugging them both. "I am so proud of you both; my little boys are growing up." Mrs. Potter pushed them away so she could look at them and wiped away a tear. She scanned their appearances before her gaze stopped on Sirius hair, which was falling elegantly into his eyes. "Sirius, you really need a hair cut!" Sirius back away as fast as he could, covering his head with his hands. "Not the hair!" He begged while 

Mr. Potter and James howled with laughter. "You two are next!" Mrs. Potter warned and they both shut up.


	4. All aboard the Hogwarts Express

**Aloha everybody ******

**How are you all this fine, extremely raining, day? Let me know when you review ;) wink wink. No seriously I would like to hear how you are, I'm creepy person who's trying to get info on you or anything but I'm a friendly person and currently in a very happy mood. **

**Disclaimer- Yes I own Harry Potter, all the characters and am married to Sirius Black and we're going to stay as gorgeous teenagers for the rest of our lives. Kidding my surname is not Rowling…its Black!**

**Chapter four I believe. This chapter is a little longer than usual but I'm sure you don't mind ******

**Happy reading!**

All aboard the Hogwarts express

Lily's alarm beeped. Reaching over to her bedside table she pressed the off button. She swung her legs out of bed and a huge grin spread across her face. _The first day of school. _The butterflies in Lily's stomach fluttered excitedly and she walked to her desk. Picking up her neatly folded clothes from the back of her chair Lily skipped to the bathroom.

Lily exited the bathroom and went back to her room. Looking into her mirror she checked her outfit. She was wearing fitting light blue denim jeans paired with summery white top. Her hair was down, cascading in soft waves down her back. Slipping on her white dolly shoes she took a last glance around her room, picked up her case and walked out shutting the door firmly behind her.

James opened his eyes sleepily and ran a hand through his messy locks. Feeling unnerved he propped himself up on his elbows and peered into the darkness. James fell off his bed in surprise when he found a pair of grey eyes staring intently at him from the floor. "Padfoot!" James groaned, "Why are you staring at me? Why are you even in here, you have your own room!" James added as he pulled himself of f the floor and sat down on his bed. "Mrs. P said I can wake you up in four minutes!" Sirius bounced excitedly while James surveyed him with raised eyebrows. He waved a hand in front of Sirius' face, "I'm already up." Sirius' face dropped and he stopped bouncing. Sirius pouted and his chin wobbled as if he was about to cry. "But I wanted to wake you up!" "Sorry mate." James patted his crestfallen friend on the head before heading over to the shower.

James and Sirius leaned casual against the wall between platform 9 and platform 10 of Kings Cross station. They fell through the barrier with their trolleys and immerged on the busy platform 9 and three quarters. Upon the arrival of his parents they moved to a less crowded area of the platform and waited for the train.

James and Sirius both watched the barrier carefully, waiting for one of their friends to emerge through the wall. They didn't have to wait long, a couple of minutes later Remus came looking a little tired but otherwise good. "Moony!" Sirius squealed as he tackled his friend to the ground, hugging him tightly. "I've missed you so! I haven't seen you in years!" As usual Sirius was being his overly dramatic self. Remus groaned under Sirius' weight but smiled non the less, patting him on the back. "I saw you last week Padfoot." Remus pointed out before shoving Sirius off him. He grasped James extended hand to pull him to his feet before hugging his friend. "Where's Wormtail?" "Here!" Came the squeaky voice of their smallest friend.

But James was no longer aware of his friends talking, he barley registered it when he was hugged either. Why was he not focusing on his friends? That would be because Lily Evans had just walked through the barrier. Lily Evans, the object of his affections for the past 6 years, the love of his life. James could smell her all the way from where he was standing and was having a hard time not drooling at the sight of her. He watched entranced as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and laughed at something her friend had said. Quickly James pulled himself together and his eyes narrowed. He had given up on Lily Evans; once and for all after what happened at the lake on that day. So there was no use staring at her now. She had made it quite clear over the years what she thought of him and James had finally decided to accept it. The words she said were still resounding in his head and a dull ache in his chest made him shudder. He ripped his gaze away from her and tuned into what his friends were saying. Remus, always the observant one, raised his eyebrows noticing Lily. But James just shook his head and looked away. Remus smiled sadly.

"Have a good year sweetie!" Lily's mother called, tears forming in her eyes, as Lily pushed her trolley towards _the_ wall. "Do us proud Lilybean!" Mr. Evans shouted and Lily grinned. "You can count on it!" With one final wave she disappeared through the wall, leaving her parents in the same startled daze as she had every year she went into platform nine and three quarters.

"So how was your summer _Lilybean_?" Came her friend's soft, teasing voice. "Mary!" Lily dropped her bag and laughed as she embraced her friend tightly. After releasing her they pushed their trolley's over to bench and sat down, waiting for the train. Mary started telling Lily about her summer, but Lily zoned out after a couple of minutes. Looking around the platform, her eyes landed on the Marauders, or more specifically James Potter. Lily groaned internally and wondered how long before he noticed her and decided to 'say hello'. Taking in James' appearance Lily had to admit he looked good. A pair of worn of Levi's hung on his hips, held up by a belt. He had a white t-shirt on that emphasised his Quidditch muscles and brought out his tan. He seemed to have grown this summer but his broad shoulders and well defined body made sure he didn't look lanky. Now Lily had never denied he was handsome but she didn't think he was drop dead gorgeous like the majority of girls in the school. She watched him as he chatted to his friends, but something told her he was not totally focused on the conversation. His hazel eyes looked unfocused as he nodded to something Remus had said. Lily continued to observe him; he noted that he looked a lot happier than he had at the end of last year. He seemed less sullen and was actually talking, although he still was nowhere near as carefree as she was used to seeing him and his 

cocky smile was nowhere to be seen. Lily sighed, she knew the rest of the school blamed her for James' change in personality and to be honest she wasn't sure whether it was her fault. I mean she had said some pretty harsh stuff down at the lake but so had he. She was not selfish…was she? It was true that since he disappeared off after their 'talk' at the lake, he hadn't been the same. But that had to be a coincidence, right? Doubt invaded her mind, making her feel guilty. Lily ripped her gaze away from James and stared at the ground contemplating as she had many times over the summer what had gone on that day at the lake. He hadn't asked her out, that was a good thing. In fact he hadn't even glanced her way for the remainder of the year. She had no owls from any of the Marauders over the summer. Not even Remus to tell her he had been made head boy. Lily frowned again and looked up at Remus, she would talk to him later she decided. "Lily have you even been listening to me!" Mary gave an exasperated sigh and Lily gave her an apologetic smile. "Bonjour mon amies!" Came the bright voice of Lily's good friend Riley. Lily and Mary both scrambled to hug her and she laughed. "I missed you guys too." Lily took a step back and surveyed her beaming friend. "You cut your hair!" Lily exclaimed and Riley giggled giving a little twirl. "You like?" Riley smiled fingering her now shoulder length brown curly hair. "Yeah!" Lily looked around and groaned. The Marauders were coming this way; James Potter had finally spotted her. Turning her back on them she started up conversation with Mary.

Suddenly there was a squeal. Lily whirled round to find Riley being twirled around in the air by none other than Mr. James Potter. Lily's green eyes narrowed as she watched her friend. Riley threw her arms around James' neck, her legs encircling his waist while he hugged her fiercely. She saw James stroking her hair with obvious care, "James!" She cried excitedly. "I missed you!" "Awww I missed you too Riles!" James said pulling back and ruffling her curls affectionately as he put her down. Immediately she sprung on a delighted Sirius. Riley pulled out of his embrace and kissed him on the cheek; Sirius grinned and looked her up and down before patting her on the bum. "That skirt is far too short love." Sirius grinned mischievously, smirking as Riley swatted him on the head and moved on to give Peter and Remus hugs.

Lily had remained silent this whole time, her eyes fixed on James with surprise. He had not even acknowledged her presence let alone asked her out. Deep down, although she wouldn't admit it even to herself, she was quite put out. The scarlet steam engine arrived noisily; Lily grabbed her suitcase and jumped on the train with a huff.

"Lily can I talk to you for a sec?" Remus asked, poking his head into her compartment. Lily smiled and stood up, shutting the door behind her. She hugged Remus grinning widely, "Congrats on making head boy!" Remus smiled sheepishly, his eyes downcast as he pulled away. He pointed to his chest before raising his eyes to meet Lily's, "I didn't make head boy." Lily's grin faltered before dropping off the face completely. She blinked, the surprise evident in her voice. "You didn't!?" Remus shook his head ruefully. "Do you know…do you know who did?" Lily asked, her tone apologetic. Remus hesitated before shaking his head slowly. "No." Lily frowned slightly, "I wonder who it is?" She mused while Remus cleared his throat awkwardly. "Umm Lily…I need to talk to you about…last year." Lily sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Ok talk." Remus twiddled with his thumbs nervously. "I'm sorry…for not talking to you last year." Lily nodded, allowing a small smile as she waited for an explanation. Remus ran a hand 

through his shaggy blond hair, Lily frowned at the familiar action and he dropped his hand immediately. "I know what you said to James." He confirmed, watching Lily's response, she flinched. "James, he didn't want to tell us but Sirius felt we needed to know. Marauders keep no secrets." Remus added, many emoticons running through his blue eyes. Lily did not know what to think when she heard this piece of information. "I'm not going to pretend that I don't think what you said to him wasn't ruthless and uncalled for. It…it really hit home." "Good." She muttered and anger flashed across Remus' usually calm face. Lily looked down ashamed. "Well see you later then." Remus stalked back to his compartment and Lily went back to hers' feeling much worse than before.

James looked miserably out of the window. Remus locked eyes with Sirius; they stared at each other silently communicating. Sirius gave a slight jerk of his head and Remus sighed. Heaving himself off the floor he made his way through all their stuff on the floor to James, Sirius' concerned eyes following him the whole way. Remus put a hand on his shoulder, "Prongs mate, you have to face her sometime. She's head girl!" James exhaled noisily and pushed himself off his seat. Digging in his case he produced his head boy badge and placed it next to the Quidditch one on his robes. Sliding open the door, he walked out without even a single glance back at his friends. Sirius grimaced at Remus who smiled sadly and settled down with a book.

James dragged his feet down the train. He kept his head down, ignoring everybody. He arrived at a compartment that said 'Head Boy and Girl'. Raking a hand through is raven locks he attempted a smile, failing miserably. He sighed and pushed open the door. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Lily was not there. Falling backwards into a seat, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

Lily took a deep breath and smiled nervously. "Good luck." Alice piped up as Lily walked out of the compartment. Lily made her way up to front of the train and stopped in front of the heads compartment. Lily inhaled and let out her breath. This was it, she was about to meet her head boy for the rest of the year. Smiling she pushed open the door and strolled into the room. The smile dropped off her face and her heart plummeted. James' eyes snapped open as the door slammed closed. His hazel orbs connected with Lily's livid green ones and he felt his heart ache, stronger this time. "What the _hell_ are you doing here Potter!?" Lily spat, her voice dangerously quiet, colour rising in her face. James' gaze left Lily's face and he sighed internally. "I'm head boy." He said quietly. "No you're not!" Lily replied, her voice getting steadily louder. "There is no freakin' way _you _are head boy! Do not mess with me _Potter! _No-one would make you head boy in a_ million_ years!_" _Lily screeched. "Evans get over it, I'm head boy." James said his voice completely void of emoticon. Lily gave a hysterical laugh. "Why are you so intent on ruining my life!? Can't you and your arrogant ego just leave me alone for once in my life! I don't want you here!" As James stayed silent Lily gave another hysterical giggle. "Did Remus give it to you? Oh…" Her eyes grew cold and furious as the hysterics died away, "So who did you pay to get this position?! Huh? How much did your daddy have to bribe Dumbledore to get you Head Boy!?" She shrieked. James leapt out of his seat, drawing his wand and pointing it at her neck. Lily's eyes widened but quickly 

narrowed again as James' bored into hers. "Dumbledore gave me Head Boy. I did not ask for it. Got that Evans!" James spat, grinding his teeth in an attempt not to hex her. He stuffed his wand back into his pocket and stormed out of the room.

James stomped into the compartment where most of the prefects were already seated. He nodded to the hello's and how was your summer's and took a seat at the head of the table. James looked up and caught Remus' gaze. He raised his eyebrows, asking how it went and James' eyes narrowed and he looked down. Remus took the hint. The last two prefects arrived and took a seat at the table. By this time James had calmed down a bit and even managed a smile as he addressed the prefects. "I know you're all surprised that I made Head Boy," He paused for a second taking in the various reactions. Most of them were smiling encouragingly or in the girls chases giggling behind their hands. Some of the remaining prefects were looking a bit doubtful whereas the last few, the syltherins, were looking at James with distain but that was to be expected. "But I promise I will pull my fair share of weight and make this the best year ever!" There were a few cheers and James grinned for the first time since he'd stepped on the train. Handing out some papers and schedules James proceeded in conducting the meeting while Remus beamed at his friend proudly.

About ten minutes later the door swung open to reveal a fuming redhead. She walked in silently, closing the door a little too forcefully behind her. She sat down on the far edge of her chair, as far away from James as possible. She attempted a smile, "Hello I'm Lily Evans, you Head Girl for the year…" "Yes we've already gone over that thanks." James interrupted coldly. "You were supposed to wait for me." Lily hissed her eyes narrowing into slits as she turned to face him. "Oh was I?" James said in a fake puzzled voice. Lily sat, rigid in her seat he anger slowly boiling up as the meeting went on. James conducted the whole thing without a hitch, barley letting Lily talk at all. He went over all the basics and explained all their duties. In fact he was perfect and that made Lily furious. It was supposed to be her who was organising the whole school, they were _her_ prefects. She was supposed to be doing a fantastic job organising them all but instead she sat mute in her chair letting Potter control the meeting. Great.

"Ok guys you can go now." James finished off the meeting and all the prefects swiftly exited the compartment to get away from the fuming head girl. James made to leave but an arm shot out and forced him back. "Watch were you're going Evans." James made to go past her but she grabbed his arm again. "What the hell was that? You made me look like a fool!" James stayed silent, his eyes locked in combat with Lily's. "Why did you not wait for me!?" Lily shrieked, her face turning red but James remained calm, "I don't answer to you Evans." James said coolly before pushing past Lily and departing from the room.

**Oh James has finally started to stand up for himself, good for you mate! LOL Anyway sorry to leave it in such an awkward place but I didn't want to make this one super long so I had to stop it. **

**You know the drill, press the review button. It would make me an extremely happy person. **


	5. Coming to terms with James Potter

Hey! This was co-written with my fantastically awesome friend xiceflamex, so enjoy.

Disclaimer-my names not J.K Rowling.

Coming to terms with James Potter

Lily stepped off the train, stumbling onto the platform with her heavy trunk. She almost wished James would come and carry her case like he tried to every year. Almost. Lily dragged her case over to the head's carriage which was set apart from the rest. Heaving it up she placed it on one of the seats, noticing the other was taken by a trunk already.

Hopping down she checked the area for any obvious first years, seeing non she walked over to Hagrid where the first years were nervously lined up. She was surprised and a little impressed to see James already ushering some towards the boats. "Hi I'm Lily Evans, head girl and 7th year Gryffindor. If you'd follow me," Making sure the rest of the first years were following her she lead them towards the boats. As she marched a small blond haired boy fell into step with her. He latched onto her arm and Lily looked down, smiling welcomingly. "What can I do for you?" He looked her up and down, fixing his eyes on her lips. "Well gorgeous, you could go with me to Hogsmeade." He smirked and trailed his fingers up her arm suggestively; Lily's eyes widened. "Don't worry, I won't bite…well not yet." He raised his eyebrows and winked at Lily whose jaw dropped. She gathered herself, her face only showing mild alarm while she gently pried her arm out of the grip of the first year. "Geeh, that's really sweet but…I already have a boyfriend!" Lily quickly announced and the first year fell back with his companions grumbling. Lily heaved a sigh of relief and stopped as they reached the lake.

Lily stepped up into her carriage to find James already lounging in his seat, reading a book. His hazel eyes flickered up towards her as the only acknowledgment she was getting. Abruptly the carriage lurched as it started moving throwing Lily forward onto her case. Lily groaned as her wrist clicked, being bent in an odd position. Brushing down her robes she turned to James. "Thanks for the help." Lily snapped, pushing a strand of fiery red hair behind her ear. James just shrugged, not looking up from his book. Flinging herself into her seat, she snatched up her rucksack and produced a transfiguration textbook. Lily huffed as she opened it to the first page and started to analysis the diagram, mouthing wand indications. The rest of the journey was spent in complete silence, with only the turning of pages to break the quiet atmosphere.

The hall broke in to applause as Dumbledore finished his welcome speech. He beamed and held up his hand, the hall fell into silence. "Now before you can all dig in, I would like to announce this years head boy and girl. This year both are from Gryffindor!" At this the whole Gryffindor table began hollering and whooping their support. "Although I do expect that Gryffindors' will not be favoured in any way." His blue eyes gaze seemed to land suspiciously near the Marauders. Dumbledore clapped his hands again and the noise drained away. "This years' head girl is Lily Evans!" The Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and 

Hufflepuff tables all erupted in cheers and Lily bashfully stood up. "And this years' head boy is James Potter!" The applause was deafening as James stood up, many Gryffindor's clapping him on the back while the girls just giggled at him. He lifted a hand and the cheers grew. Lily watched jealously as James had everybody but the Slytherins cheering him on. "Many congratulations to both of you," Dumbledore beamed, "I would like a quick word with both of you in my office after the feast." Lily and James both nodded from their respected seats and Dumbledore smiled once again. "Without further a due, let the feast begin!"

James waved goodbye to his housemates as he saw Lily rise and make her way out of the hall. He trudged a good meter or two behind her as they made their way to Dumbledore's office. He saw her stop and regarded the gargoyle by Dumbledore's office with confusion. "Lemon drops." James announced clearly and Lily sent him a glare as she jumped. He waited until Lily had stepped onto the turning staircase before mounting it himself. James strode forward and knocked loudly on the large oak door. It immediately swung open to reveal Dumbledore sitting at his desk, stroking his phoenix. As Lily and James took seats in front of Dumbledore the phoenix flew over and landed on James arm. Lily watched James as he stroked the bird gently. Dumbledore chuckled, "She always did like men better." James smiled as the bird pecked his cheek affectionately. Dumbledore called the bird softly and she flew onto her perch. Dumbledore regarded the two teens carefully, smiling widely. "James, Lily, once again I would like to congratulate on making head boy and girl. You will both do an excellent job, I'm sure." They both mumbled their thanks but Dumbledore watched as Lily glared at James from under her lashes and James face fell. He cleared his throat and they both looked up sharply, "Now I don't want to keep you from your beds as I'm sure you're tired. I explain more of your duties and what is expected of you tomorrow." They both nodded and stood up to leave, "There are no problems are there?" Dumbledore asked with an amused smile as Lily turned red and her eyes narrowed at James but she replied, "No sir." Dumbledore nodded his approval, "James?" James thought for a second before shaking his head. "Good. Now James I'm sure you will show Lily to the heads' common room." He said, more of an order than a question. "Of course Professor," James answered, "Goodnight." "Goodnight James, Lily."

The two of them came up to the portrait in silence. A high giggly voice broke the silence, "Well, if it isn't James Potter…what would the handsome gentleman want for his password then?" Lily jerked her head up to see a beautiful mermaid on a rock brushing her hair. James gave the mermaid a small smile and she fluttered her eyelashes furiously in response, "Hi, Shelly, how was your summer?" James inquired politely and Shelly giggled again, twirling a strand of blond hair around her finger. "Quite boring really. All the mermen trying to win my affections…"

"Excuse me," Lily interrupted icily and Shelly huffed, "I would like to get inside. Potter choose a password." Lily ordered, crossing her arms.

"Don't want to…you choose." James and Lily had a short glaring contest before James looked away, his face fed up.

"Fine…Password's Wronski Feint for at least a month." James muttered as the Portrait swung open. Lily was about to follow him in when the portrait swung closed, shutting Lily outside. Lily frowned, "Potter, you can't just leave me out here!"

James stuck his head out again, "You know the password." Lily scowled and muttered the password who immediately reprimanded her, "No need to be stroppy about it." Lily gave her best death glare at the portrait as she retorted sweetly, "Wronski Feint." The mermaid muttered about insolent teenage girls before swinging open reluctantly. Lily walked in before backing up slightly to look at the mermaid. "By the way, I think you should get your eyelashes checked out, you seem to have some spasming disorder." Lily added kindly, hearing the mermaid gasp she quickly jogged back inside before she was locked out.

James was sitting inside, lighting the room with his wand. Lily's eyes found him and she felt her anger boiling up inside her, "So…for the next head's meeting, should we co-ordinate what we say?" James scoffed and Lily suddenly began yelling, "Oh, so you'll just push me to the side again, will you? Not wait for me? Be that insolent little bullying toerag you've always been?" James tensed as she continued, "What the hell is a Wronski Feint anyway?"

He replied coldly, "It's a Quidditch move. Though I wouldn't expect you to know." Lily gasped, her eyes blazing furiously, "You…you made our head's room password a Quidditch move?" James looked firmly away from her, "I've been the Quidditch captain for three years, what did you expect?"

Lily retorted, "I didn't realise your ego needed feeding every sentence. Why an earth would you call it…_that!"_

"You asked me to make up the password." James answered shortly, standing up and strode into his room. Lily was left speechless outside before storming over to his door and screaming, "You can't just leave me here…I'm…" James peered out, glaring at Lily, "You're…"

"I'm…I'm…I'm Lily Evans." She answered, becoming quieter with every word. He shrugged and turned back to his room. Lily slid down against the wall, her thoughts running around in her head like a whirlwind.


	6. Another day another fight

Hey guys

I'm going to Canada on Saturday for the rest of the summer holidays and the day after I get back I have to go to school. So there won't be a chapter for at least three weeks. I'm so sorry guys, but no connection in the mountains! I know we all hate it when people do this but I can help it but I tried to make this chapter extra long for you.

Disclaimer-Daniel Radcliff and Harry Potter are not mine…

**Another day another fight**

"Padfoot!" James hissed into the mirror as he sat up in bed, "Padfoot!"Suddenly a sleepy face appeared in his mirror, "What time do you call this mate!" Sirius yawned, running a hand through his shaggy mane. "Quidditch time!" Sirius grinned, sleep vanishing from his eyes, "Alright, meet you on the pitch in half an hour!" Sirius smiled again and his face disappeared from view.

James stashed his mirror in his school bag before getting out of bed. Throwing on his Quidditch gear, he grabbed his broom and made for the door.

Lily opened her eyes, as they focused she looked around wildly. Suddenly she flopped back down on her pillows; she was in the head's dorm, because she was head girl. That was why her roommates were no where in sight. Smiling softly she got out of bed and flung open her window. Walking to her wardrobe she pulled out a pair of jeans and a green turtle-neck before slipping a pair of robes over them and disappeared round the bathroom door.

After a quick shower, she got changed and went down to their Common Room; it was deathly quiet. Lily frowned and strode to the bottom of the stairs, her ears straining for any noise. Nothing. Lily made her way up the stairs to James room. The door was open, a quick look inside told her James wasn't there. Lily checked her watch; they still had an hour before breakfast, it was only seven. She'd always taken James for a late riser but he wasn't in his room, or in the Common room, or in the bathroom. So he must have gone out. No doubt he was up to no good. I mean what else would _James Potter_ be doing at seven in the morning apart from causing trouble with his fellow Marauders. Of course Remus would not be on to this, he was far too sensible. I mean why on earth had Dumbledore made _him _head boy over Remus? It was completely preposterous. It made Lily's skin crawl to think she would have to work with him all year. There was no way he would take any of this seriously, leaving her to do all the work, "I will not allow my year to be ruined by a spoilt condescending prat vowed Lily.

Lily looked down the stairs and wandered into James room. She hadn't seen it before and decided to take this opportunity. It wasn't an intrusion, not really. She just wanted to see his room. The layout of his room was much the same as hers; with a kings size bed against one wall, a huge wooden wardrobe and a bed side table upon which James owl, Wingit was placed.

Wingit was a beautiful midnight black owl, with a white circle around one eye. It eyed Lily suspiciously as she carefully trod amongst the piles of stuff on the floor.

James room was red, and you guessed it gold, in true Gryffindor style whereas Lily's was a bluey-silver colour. James' walls were already covered; he sported many 'GO GRYFFINDOR' banners around his room, along with other Quidditch posters and loads of photos of his friends.

Lily grinned as she came across a picture of Riley and Sirius. The picture was taken while they were both sleeping outside under a tree; Sirius had his arms around her waist and Riley's head was buried in his chest while their legs were entwined. Lily looked closer and laughed as she saw a piece of drool coming out of Sirius' mouth as he smiled serenely. Moving on to the next picture, it showed Sirius and Remus, a few years younger wrestling on the grass. Lily watched Sirius grin victoriously as he straddled Remus. Remus was squirming underneath him, still laughing as he unsuccessfully tried to push Sirius off him. All of a sudden Remus' face lit up with a mischievous smile; he said something to Sirius and pointed over by a tree where a figure was lying. Sirius immediately scrambled up and started running towards the tree. Remus leapt to his feet and shot a hex at Sirius who fell to the ground. The last thing Lily saw was Remus' mischievous grin and twinkling blue eyes before it went back to them wrestling. The next image was of what Lily presumed was the Quidditch team, holding a huge banner that said 'we love our captain!' Lily smiled as James came into view with a huge grin on his mud splattered face. He ran towards his team and was engulfed by the crowd, who were jumping up and down and hugging each other. As Lily watched she saw a girl push her way to James. She flung her arms around James' neck and kissed him passionately to which he responded eagerly. James' arms snaked their way around her waist to pull her closer. As they pulled away, Lily saw James beaming radiantly and the girl, who she identified as Isabelle Swansea, a beautiful 7th year Gryffindor who was half veela, blushing as she leant in and brushed a piece of hair away from James eyes, staring deeply into them. Lily felt her blood begin to pound in her ears and she realized she was angry with James. But she wasn't sure why, she wanted to rip her eyes away from the picture but was glued to it. Thankfully the girl disappeared back into the crowd and Sirius bounded up, knocking James over with his hug. The image faded back to the happy Quidditch team as they waited for their captain and Lily let out a breath. Turning away from his wall Lily saw an interesting cloak lying on the floor and bent down to pick it up.

"What are you doing!?" James demanded and Lily jumped in the air. She twirled around, her eyes wide open with shock.

"I…nothing! I was just…" James narrowed his eyes, interrupting, "Snooping around my stuff! God do you have no trust at all!?"

Lily snorted, "You expect me to trust you!? I wouldn't be surprised to find dark artifacts or…" Lily couldn't finish because for the second time in two days she was held at wand point. James was shaking with anger by this time and his hazel orbs were cold. "I never meddled in the dark arts," James hissed, "Unlike your friend Snivellus!" Lily gasped and her own eyes became hard but not before James saw the hurt and betrayal.

She looked down at James wand, "I don't even know why you're in Gryffindor. You don't even have the courage to hex me!" Lily taunted and James hand tightened on his wand. Lily sneered, "I wonder what the rest of the school would do if they found of Gryffindor's king isn't capable of hexing a girl."

James' jaw clenched and a muscle in his throat jumped as he ground his teeth. "Get out." James snarled and dropped his wand from Lily's throat as his hand shook in an attempt not to curse her. Lily brushed past James and stalked out of the room as James collapsed on his bed.

"Moonyyyyyyyyy! I'm bored!" Sirius bounced up and down on Remus' bed, while he tore his eyes away from his newest book. "Ok." Remus replied; Sirius huffed and turned on the charm. Blinking his expressive stormy grey eyes, he stared into Remus' eyes, protruding his lower lip slightly. Remus caved, "Fine. What do you want to do!?"

Sirius grinned and swept a piece of hair out of his eyes. "I want to go see James." Sirius had a determined look in his eyes and Remus groaned; there was no way he could put him off the idea and as it was Saturday, Sirius would be moaning until they went to see him. Remus put his book down reluctantly and uncrossed his legs. "Fine, let's go."

"I lurvvvvvvvve you Moony!" Sirius smiled dreamily and batted his long eyelashes as he latched himself onto Remus' waist. "Get of me you over dramatic oaf!" Remus pushed him roughly but as Sirius was hugging him from the waist they both ended up in a pile on the floor. "You really need to lose some weight Padfoot, you weigh a ton!" Remus groaned as he tried to shift Sirius. Sirius gasped and leapt up frantically running out of the room. Remus quickly jogged after him down into the common room. He stifled a groan and smacked his head as he saw Sirius running around the common room hysterically, screaming at people and asking if he was fat. Remus apologized to the girl Sirius was screaming at and led him quickly out of the room.

"Oh hey Wormtail, do you want to come with us to see Prongs?" Remus questioned as they met Peter in the hallway. Peter nodded and eyed Sirius nervously. He fell into step with Remus, "What's up with Padfoot?" Peter whispered as Sirius attacked a first year, screaming at him to touch his butt. "You don't want to know!" Remus towed Sirius away from the terrified first year (who was probably scarred for life) and Peter scurried along beside them.

Remus knocked on the portrait door and Lily immediately threw open the door. She looked flushed and angry, "I'm sorry the prat head is not available." Lily snapped and attempted to close the door. Remus stuck his foot in the way, his brow furrowed. "No you may not come in!" Lily rammed the door against Remus' foot, hitting it again and again. "Christ sake Lily! Stop!" Remus shouted and Lily dropped her eyes. "Sorry Remus." She murmured and Remus nodded while rubbing his foot. Alice peered around the three marauders, her eyebrows drawn up in a frown.

James popped his head out of his room, seeing his friends he made his way down the stairs, ignoring Lily who was still standing in the doorway. "Hi guys." James said quietly and Sirius frowned, "What's up 

Prongs?" He asked concerned, James gave a pointed look to Lily. "Oh, nothing. Come in guys, my room's to the left of the stairs." Lily stood in the way of the portrait hole so they couldn't come in. "They are not coming in." Lily said firmly, challenging James. "Yes they are." James pushed Lily out of the way so they could come in. She stumbled slightly, but regained her balance and shoved him back so his head hit the wall with a sickening thud. Remus gasped and Alice ran over, "Lily what did you do!?" She stared wide eyed at James whose eyes showed obvious pain. Whether physical or metal Lily showed no remorse. "You," She jabbed a finger at Remus, Peter and Sirius, "Are not welcome here!" They stayed silent but James stepped forward, "And why not?" He inquired frigidly. "Because I do not want planning and scheming going on in here!" James scoffed and Lily coloured.

"And I just don't want them in here! I live here and I don't want your stupid groupie's ruining my day! Excusing you Remus." Remus remained tight lipped as he gripped Sirius' shoulder tightly, restraining him, "I live here too! You can't tell my friend's what to do!" James growled and Alice moved forward placing a hand on Lily's shoulder, "Lils, just let them in, they have every right to be here."

"No they don't!" Lily snapped and Alice frowned as she was pushed back by an infuriated Lily. "Remus, you can stay. Peter, Sirius; oh and preferably Potter get lost!" Remus grabbed Lily's shoulder and she spun round, her eyes flashing.

"If I'm allowed to stay, why aren't they!?" Lily flushed a little, her mouth opening and closing, "Well you're not trouble…" Remus opened his mouth but James beat him to it, "If Alice is allowed to stay then so are the Marauders!" James argued, his hands clenching into fists. Lily's green eyes burnt angrily.

"They are not staying!" Lily shouted. There was a tense silence before James pushed Alice, a lot more softly then he pushed Lily, out of the portrait and followed the Marauders out; leaving Lily all alone as the portrait slammed close.

James was fuming as he paced to the Great Hall for breakfast. The rest of the Marauder's followed him quickly, still shook from the fight they had witnessed. James had never before argued back to Lily, except for that day at the lake and it unnerved them. When James had said he had given up on Lily Evans, he wasn't joking they realized. The only words exchanged were cold and necessary, he hadn't even acknowledged Lily. They weren't sure if that was a good thing or not. James flung himself in a seat at the far end of the Gryffindor table; snatching up some food he started shoveling it silently into his mouth. His friends sat down next to him, watching with concerned faces, "Prongs mate, are you ok?" Sirius hesitantly questioned his friend. James' head snapped up from where he had been staring at his plate, "Yeah. Peachy."

The others exchanged worried looks as they began eating slowly. James was glaring at his plate again, poking the food viciously. Remus felt like making a comment but held back, James' facial expression scaring him. Lily's friend, Alice was sitting next to Remus, her forehead creased in worry but her eyes dark with anger. She kept looking up towards the doors, her eyes lighting up every time someone came in before dying again as it became 

clear it wasn't the fiery red-head. She nibbled at her food and kept her gaze averted from the Marauders. Remus felt sick to the pit of his stomach. Somehow, Lily had stepped over the line this time.

All the way through breakfast, there was no sign of Lily and as people began drifting off away, he couldn't help but hope that Lily would begin acting rationally. That was just wishful thinking though.

Ok that's it, I'm sorry to kind of cut it off a little but I'm leaving in a couple of hours and I have no time to write any more. Please review while I'm gone, it would make me happy

See you in a couple of weeks

Xshrimpyx


	7. Apologize

Hi guys!! I am officially back

Ok so before you read this chapter, I just want to say that Lily might seem like the "bad guy" in a lot of my chapters. I have nothing against her, obviously because she's not even real, but I thought it would be fun to write something where Lily has to change and accept James rather than the other way round. James might seem a bit cold as well but he's just trying to protect himself. His friends do like Lily, they just don't want James hurt!

Ok with that note here's the next chapter. I know it's long, but I can never stop writing. Oh and sorry it's kind of boring but it is a bit necessary. Kind of :

**Fine**

"Alice!" Lily called, running after her friend's retreating back. Alice turned around slowly, clutching her books protectively to her chest. Lily frowned at the frightened look in her eyes. "Look I'm really sorry for earlier." Lily said sincerely and Alice gave her a small smile, her eyes clearing. "I forgive you," Lily's face lit up and she hugged her friend tightly. Alice pulled back with a serious face, "But I'm not the one you really need to be apologizing too." She reminded Lily, looking pointedly in the direction of the Marauders who were sitting silently in their seats at the back of the classroom. Lily nodded with an obviously unhappy look on her beautiful face. Lily followed Alice to their seats, a couple of rows in front of the Marauders and dumped her bag on the chair. She unpacked it slowly, contemplating the task that must follow. Alice patted Lily on the shoulder sympathetically as she turned around and picked who to approach first. Most of the class watched Lily with interest as she marched straight towards James Potter, her face grim.

At the last moment Lily swerved away from James, who head was cradled in his arms on the desk, and stopped in front of the blond werewolf. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Lily whispered, staring into her friend's guarded blue eyes. Remus broke the quiet of the room with a cough, "Sure." He got up and walked to the doorway with Lily. Lily seemed absorbed by her nails as she fiddled with them, searching for the right words to say. "I'm not angry." Remus spoke and Lily's head shot up. "I'm just…confused," Remus continued, picking his words carefully. "About what?" Lily questioned, "Why you can't treat James or Sirius or Peter with the same care you treat me." Lily gulped and licked her lips as she prepared what she was going to say. "Potter," She said the word with distain and Remus cringed slightly, "Just gets on my last nerve and I can't stand the pranks Sirius plays. Peter as well, although he mainly follows Potter and Sirius…" Lily finished lamely while Remus scrutinised her intently. "But I join in those pranks too." Remus told her gently and Lily's frown deepened. "I'm actually the mastermind behind a few of them." Remus attempted a weak chuckle but it died out almost immediately at the look on Lily's face. "But you're…_different_." Remus was overwhelmed by pity as he was reminded once again how different he was from his friends. "More than you know." He mumbled under his breath, shaking his head at Lily's questioning look. "Well I am sorry, about earlier." Lily muttered and Remus held out his arms. She went into them happily, taking in Remus delicious warm chocolate scent. When Remus pulled away he was aware the whole class was ogling at them except for James, who stubbornly refused to lift his head.

Lily quickly chose the next Marauder to talk to; Sirius. Lily knew he would be less forgiving than Remus, but she also knew Peter would follow whatever Sirius decided so she needed to win him over. Lily was conscious of the grey gaze as she walked Remus back to his seat and turned towards Sirius. He was unashamedly staring at her to see what she would do. "Sirius? A minute?" Lily asked, too aware the whole class was watching her and would surely spread this around the school as soon as class was finished. Sirius leaned back on his chair casually, the front two legs of the chair of the ground. He shook his head once, "I don't think I want to." Lily sighed; he was purposely making this hard for her. Her eyes darted to Remus and they begged him to help her. Remus leant over and whispered something in Sirius' ear. He immediately dropped the chair legs and jumped off his chair with an elegance Lily could never achieve. Sirius blocked the doorway with his frame as he turned to face Lily, with a mask of boredom.

Lily shrunk back, she didn't like this Sirius. She much preferred the easy going guy who would do anything for a laugh. "I'm sorry." Lily tried to sound confident but failed. "For talking about you and your friends like that and not letting you in to the common room." Lily added. She smiled hopefully as she watched Sirius. He was clearly arguing with in himself although his face was carefully showing no emotion. Sirius glared at Remus as they had a silent conversation. Was that good or bad Lily wondered. Sirius turned back to Lily.

"I know we may act a little arrogant at times," Lily raised her left eyebrow but Sirius ignored it. "But the truth is, we Marauders are no better than you, your friends, or anyone at this school." Lily smiled while Sirius continued his heartfelt speech, "Except the slytherin's…and my family," Lily felt a tweak of pain at the bitterness that covered the real emoticon. "Oh and any Voldemort supporters." Lily flinched and Sirius grinned, "Oh sorry you don't say _his _name?" Sirius mocked the word his and gave her a lopsided grin as she shook her head. "But as I was saying, we're no better than you. But you're no better than us either." Lily's face flushed and she nodded, ashamed. As she looked at him smirking Lily was reminded of why the whole of the school was in love with him. His devilish charm could get him out of anything. Sirius cleared his throat teasingly and Lily blushed again as she released she had been staring at his face. "I know I'm beautiful love but control yourself." Sirius winked and Lily gave an exasperated sigh. "One last thing," Sirius said, taking control of the conversation again, "As best mate I feel the need to say. Don't apologize to me. If _he_ isn't happy with you I'm not. Marauders' code." He gave her an apologetic smile before sauntering back into the room.

Lily took a deep breath; two done, two left to do. This should be easy she thought as she asked Peter to come with her. "Look Peter I'm really sorry about the stuff I said yesterday and not letting you come into the common room." To her surprise Peter folded his arms and spoke fiercely. "I don't care what you say about me, but _never_ say anything like that about my friends again! They all are the best and never seriously harm people who aren't Slytherin's or have bullied me." Despite Peter being a good couple of inches shorter than her Lily felt intimidated. "Ok." She replied, anxious to get this over with but worried about talking to the final Marauder. "So just stay away from us if you're going to carry on causing us all grief." Lily frowned at the small boy, "What are you talking about?" Peter rolled his eyes, "Of course you don't see how much your words cut up James. And in a result make us all unhappy and in consequence the whole school." Lily took in the true words from the usually timid boy with surprise and despair as she realised that her words did actually affect James. "So just think next time you speak to James. He 

has feelings and they matter. They are the kindest hearted people you will ever find. They have stopped people bullying me more times than I can count and are the best friend's in the world." Lily smiled inwardly at the boy's obvious love for his friends but grimaced as she realised what she had left to do. She barely noticed that Peter left to be engulfed by Sirius and Remus; who were clapping him on the back and thanking him for standing up for the Marauder's.

Lily walked deliberately slowly towards the Marauder's desks. Her head was pounding and she felt sick to her stomach at the thought of apologizing to _Potter_. The three other Marauder's watched her process from the doorway James' desk.

Suddenly Professor Binns hurried through the door, "Sorry I'm late, please take your seats." Lily let out a sigh of relief and scurried to her seat without another glance back at the Marauder's.

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Lily ambled towards the common room, in deep thought. She didn't notice until she was almost upon them; James Potter standing with Isabelle Swansea. Lily quickly backed up so she was partly hidden behind a cold stone wall and observed the exchange. James was smiling for the first time since he had stormed out of the common room. Isabelle was standing close, too close Lily thought, and gesturing with her hands about something which made James laugh. Lily held her breath as James leant in towards Isabelle, thankfully he just brushed a piece of her blond hair behind her ears. But Lily was angry at the affectionate gesture as she saw Isabelle's cheeks tint rouge. It's so obvious she wants to get back with him Lily reflected. James said something, ruffling his hair in a casual yet effective manner. Isabelle nodded and smiled, her cheek dimpling prettily. James pulled Isabelle to him, rocking her gently from side to side as he hugged her. She was still pink as she walked away her hips swaying purposely.

Lily stomped up to James who was still standing watching Isabelle. His gaze snapped to Lily and he immediately crossed his arms in a defensive position. Lily meant to say a heartfelt apology but it came out more like, "You're friends can come into the common room. Ok?"

"Fine."James muttered before scampering off. Lily just stood their wishing she had said something else.

Right. There you have it, the very possibly boring chapter. Next one will be more exciting I promise. Review please! 


	8. Time tables

Hey guys! I'm sorry that I reposted the last two chaps and changed the name on the last one. They had quite a few spelling mistakes and it was bugging me so I had to change them.

Ok special shout out to the people who reviewed on the last chapter, your messages were all super sweet.

Remember any advice, ideas or criticism just message me or post a comment.

Disclaimer: Harry isn't mine. I can't introduce you, sorry girls :P

Chapter eight

James smiled and waved lazily at Hagrid who was looking very uncomfortable at the staff table. He climbed out of the bench-pushing away his half full plate of food towards an eager Sirius and walked up to the staff table. James kept his head down, with ears slightly pink, as girls giggled and stared at his butt on the way down.

James mumbled hello's to his teachers as he made his way towards the half giant. Hagrid beamed widely and James couldn't help but grin back. "Is it ok if we come down after lunch?" James questioned. Hagrid nodded his head and the whole table shook as he stood up; a glass of pumpkin juice toppling over and clattering to the floor. He produced a couple of dirty napkins out of his pocket but managed to knock the basket of eggs onto the floor in the process, where they promptly smashed. All over James. Hagrid, hearing some jeers and snickering coming from the Slytherin's table, frowned. "Sorry." He said, handing James the napkins.

"No problem." James answered as he moped up the pumpkin juice off the floor and retrieved the silver goblet. "So one thirty?" James nodded once and climbed down the stairs of the platform that the table was on.

"James?" Professor McGonagall called and James turned around.

"Yes?"

"Here are the timetables," She held out a bunch of yellow papers with people's names on, "Please distribute them to the 7th year Gryffindors'." James nodded and took the timetables. He flicked through them until he got to his own. He grimaced as he saw Monday afternoon; double potions with Slytherins. That should be fun, he thought grimly as he made his way back to his table. He dropped their four timetables on the bench were Remus immediately grabbed them. As he walked away he heard groans and bit back a smile, no doubt they were looking at Monday afternoons.

James had four timetables left to give out. He strolled to Lily's table. Not looking at anyone he came up behind Riley and dropped a kiss on her cheek. "James!" Riley squealed, hugging him around the waist and pulling him down onto the bench beside her. "Sit." She ordered and James rolled his eyes playfully. James swung his legs under the bench and took a bite of her toast. Riley smacked his forearm jokingly, "Who ate your breakfast?"

"Sirius." James mumbled and Riley laughed as she saw him stuffing his face further down the table. He raised his eyes to meet hers and Riley waggled her fingers at him. "I should have guessed." Riley smiled.

"Are those our time tables?" Alice asked, pointing to the yellow paper still in James' hand. James dropped his toast and smiled at her. "Oh yeah, sorry. Morning Alice." He reached across the table and handed her the top paper. He held out the other two time tables and rolled his eyes at Lily who snatched it one out of his hand. Alice scanned the paper quickly and groaned. This time James didn't hide his smile, "Double potions with Slytherins?" He questioned cheerfully.

"And Charms!" She protested. James grinned and swiped Riley's pumpkin juice. He took a swig; swirling the liquid around and making a mini tornado in the goblet. Riley seized her goblet back and raised it in the air, eyeing it suspiciously. "If I get your germs and die, I'm coming back to haunt you!" She warned before taking a cautious sip from the cup. James smirked and ruffled his hair, "Hey think of it this way, it's just like kissing me."

Lily was fuming. She had woken up late and already in a bad mood. After having to run down to breakfast it was now being disturbed by stupid Potter and his ridiculous comment. Lily stabbed her toast viciously, lifting it up she took a huge bit out of the side before letting it fall back onto her plate. "Sheesh Lil what did that toast ever do to you?" Alice raised her eyebrows, watching Lily's fork warily. Lily gulped down her food and lifted her head. She smiled sweetly, "Oh I was just pretending it was Potter." She battered her eyelashes in his direction and he plastered a smile onto his face, trying to mask the sharp twang in his stomach. But Riley noticed.

"I knew you couldn't get over her." Riley murmured into his ear, brushing a piece of soft black hair out of the way. "But don't worry she'll come around."

James face twisted into a look of anger, "You don't know anything Riley. I don't care about her anymore." James hissed, pushing himself back from the bench.

"James, don't be like that." Riley pleaded, reaching out for his hand. James glanced at Lily who was looking intently down at her breakfast with a smirk on her lips. "Look I'll talk to you later." James departed without another word and went back to join his friends who were finishing breakfast.

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Lily stalked into the common room, her bad mood having not disappeared from earlier. Dragging her bag to the fire she pulled out a plain piece of parchment and started writing; the pen flying across the page in a neat slant.

Twenty quiet minutes late James entered the common room, exhausted. His eyes quickly found Lily, scribbling furiously by the fire. She looked beautiful; the firelight flickering across her peaceful face and the flames lighting up her flaming hair. James sighed and pushed away those thoughts. Lily's beautiful face switched to anger in a second. Her head snapped up to meet James'. "You're late." She snapped, he pen paused in mid-flight as she waited for an explanation. "I had Quidditch Practice." James replied, smothering a yawn as he weaved in and out of the furniture to make to it to Lily. Lily scowled as he 

stooped down next to her reading her notes. James flopped down onto the sofa beside Lily's chair and Lily screeched. "Don't sit down!" She ordered sharply, "You're caked in mud!" James exhaled noisily and heaved himself up the stairs to his room.

Lily tapped her foot impatiently as stood by the fire. James had been gone a long time and she was sick of lingering about. Lily stomped up the stairs and hammered on James' door, not waiting for a reply she threw it open and walked in.

James was lying half on the bed half off, his glasses dangling dangerously off his nose. His bare torso was heaving up and down as he breathed softly. His systematic breathing calming the air, Lily treaded slowly to his side, her eyes on his body the whole time. His body was bare except for a pair of pink boxers. Lily x-rayed his body, taking in every aspect of it. His well defined Quidditch muscles stopped his slim body from being skinny. Lily sighed again as she knelt down beside James. His plump lips were stretched into a smile and he was clearly thinking happy thoughts. His minty breath washed over Lily as she carefully lifted his glasses off his nose and onto the bedside table. Being so close to his face gave Lily a sudden urge to stroke his hair. Lily stumbled to her feet and dashed out of the room, across the hall to her own. Closing the door behind it she threw herself onto her bed. What was she thinking?

There it was.

Next one will be soon, I promise.

Shrimpy xx


	9. In the shadows

Hey everybody, I really should be doing my English coursework right now but…

Yeah I'm not.

Disclaimer-The closest I got to owning Harry Potter is when I had a dream I was him and there were loads of girls staring at me. It was pretty cool, I was awesome with my wand ;)

**In the shadows**

James was slumped over in his chair, a frown crinkling his forehead as he slept. His head was leaning on Sirius' shoulder; Sirius was also sleeping, his head resting on the crisp white sheets of the hospital wing bed. Peter was curled uncomfortable on the bed, his face twisted into pain. A half empty bottle of pink liquid lay beside him, the liquid still evident on the corners of his mouth. Remus was lying, as straight as a board on the bed next to Peter. His face was paler than usual and looked weary. Apart from the long scratch, visible only because his ripped trouser leg was rolled up, he was unhurt.

James woke with a start as Madame Pomfrey hussled into the room, opening the curtains and letting the light stream in. James rubbed his guilty eyes and his gaze darted over to Madame Pomfrey who had yet to notice him. She looked over at James and scowled, "James I thought I told you to go back to your dorm and Sirius too! You boys…"

"I'm sorry Poppy, I just didn't want to leave Peter by himself." James whispered, lowering his eyes to the floor. Madame Pomfrey's glare softened and she walked over to James; placing a hand on his head, she rubbed soothing circles into his hair. "I've fixed him up; young Mr. Pettigrew will be just fine. All the bones will have re-healed by now." James nodded sadly and Madame Pomfrey looked curious.

"You never told me how exactly Mr. Pettigrew managed to break both his legs, an arm and fractured his collar bone." She raised an eyebrow and James shifted nervously under her watch.

"He got ambushed in the corridor. It was three against one: he didn't stand a chance. They had got away before we arrived." James said, repeating the cover story Sirius had made up. Madame Pomfrey frowned unbelievingly but let it go. Peter let out a whimper and James' gaze snapped up. He nudged Sirius gently and stood up to wake Remus.

Madame Pomfrey walked away, giving the boys some privacy. The remaining Marauder's crowded round Peter's bed, wide eyed.

"I'm so sorry Wormtail," James rambled, running a continuous hand through his messy head, "I should have been more careful. It's just you're so small-I didn't mean to step on you! God I'm so sorry!" Sirius placed a comforting hand on James' back while watching Madame Pomfrey intently, who was scrutinising the boys suspiciously. "Poppy's looking, lower your voices mates." Sirius warned and Peter look notice. "I'm fine Prongs, honest. It doesn't even hurt that much anymore!" Peter added as he tried to reassure James. James stared at him with worried eyes, taking in his messed up limbs.

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Lily pushed open the doors to the hospital wing, looking around she immediately spotted James' head crowded around a bed. She gaped at Peter, who's broken bones were still obvious from the casts, but swiftly looked at the window as she came up to them. She marched up the bed and the Marauder's spun around as they heard footsteps. "Potter," Lily said stiffly, "The headmaster has requested to see us both-now." James nodded and slid of the bed where he was perched. James gave Peter one last guilt-ridden glance, sticking his hands in his pockets he followed Lily silently out of the hospital wing. Lily poked her head back in, "You two better get to class." She warned when Remus and Sirius didn't move from Peter's bedside.

Lily and James walked the empty corridors; the only noise was of their footsteps resounding. They halted in front of the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. "Orange pastels." Lily spoke clearly before climbing gingerly onto the revolving staircase, James behind her. The heavy wooden door was open and they both walked into Dumbledore's office, sitting on the armchairs in from of his desk.

"James, Lily." Dumbledore smiled warmly, surveying them as usual. "You are both well." It was more of a statement than a question but Lily nodded hesitantly. Dumbledore started pacing the room, telling them more about their heads duties. He paused, and hitched up his robes slightly so he could sit on the edge of his big desk. "So tonight is your first patrol, I trust you have no problems." Dumbledore said, that twinkle ever present in his piercing eyes. Lily shook her head unhappily as she slunk further down into her chair, avoiding looking at James.

James cleared his throat uneasily, "Actually sir, do you think it would be possible for me to change patrol partners." He maintained eye contact and to Lily it seemed like they were having a silent conversation. "I'm sorry James," Dumbledore answered apologetically, his midnight black hat toppling dangerously as he shook his head. "The two heads have always patrolled together." James' shoulders drooped and his eyes stared at a spot on the faded rug beneath his feet.

Lily felt anger and another emoticon she couldn't quite pin point rise to the surface. It was obvious James didn't want to work with her-she didn't want to work with him either-but it was rude to actually say it in front of her. She folded her arms and glared at James-he just kept looking down. This made her angrier. As they were dismissed Lily stormed out of the room, letting the door bang in James' face as she ran down the staircase.

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Four hours of torture, that's what it's going to be. Lily thought as she waited impatiently outside the Gryffindor Common Room. Lily was leaning against the wall and checked her watch for the fifth time that minute. James wasn't late yet but it was only a matter of time.

"Four seconds, three seconds, two seconds…" Lily muttered just as James appeared behind her, "One…"

She swung around to begin her patrol only to find herself face to face with James. He glanced at her watch, a tired expression on his face, "Hi…"

"Cutting it close aren't we?" Lily snapped, in a bad mood. James' face slipped into a schooled expression as he turned on his heel and began walking down the corridor. Lily frowned as she stumbled in her haste to catch up with him, "I would've have thought you could've at least come a bit earlier. Some of us want to sleep."

The muscles in James' face were taut as he fastened his pace, "Well, sometimes, we can't all get what we want." Lily huffed as they turned the corner, "Well could you at least slow down? We're supposed to patrol together" Lily spat, getting steadily redder in the face. James showed no sign of doing that; if anything, he got faster. Lily was now practically running next to him in an attempt to keep up with his large strides. James spared her no glance as he glared ahead of him. We all know you don't want to patrol with me but I don't want to patrol with you either. On my list of things to do before I die it comes bottom-along with anything else to do with you." Lily took satisfaction in seeing James shoulder tense and his fists curl into balls as she lagged behind him.

They headed up the staircase and James ran up them two at a time leaving Lily stuck at the bottom. She pulled herself painstakingly up the stairs and hand one foot on the stair when the staircase decided to move.

Lily screamed in horror as she was momentarily suspended in mid-air before James launched himself down the staircase and knocked Lily back onto the landing. James fell heavily, his back smacking against the stone, but Lily landed partly on James and was unhurt. For a moment, relief spread across James' face as Lily found herself safe on the stone floor, "Are you alright?"She immediately rolled off his and onto the floor.

Maybe it was out of shock more than anything, but Lily slumped onto the floor, breathing heavily and staring at James. He fell silent again; the emotions slipping away again as he stumbled up pulling Lily with him, his hazel eyes scanning her quickly for signs of injury. Finding her fine he started off again but at a more sedate speed. Lily, her heart thumping, followed him; wondering about his sudden lapse in stony silence.

As they made their way around the castle, Lily found herself wondering whether there was actually more to the big-headed marauder she thought he was. The Marauders had been waiting for Peter to get better rather than go to classes. They'd skipped classes for Peter. She pondered whether she would do that for her friends…skip classes, especially in NEWT year. She came to the conclusion she wouldn't-that showed Lily something about their friendship.

She glanced at the tall figure in front of her. His black hair was a mess as usual. Lily doubted it would ever lie flat. He walked with a smooth grace that was hard to achieve. No-one Lily knew could pull it off; apart from Sirius. Maybe it was a Marauder thing.

It was times like these when Lily found herself thinking deeply about the mystery called James Potter. He wasn't always an arrogant jerk, after all he had just saved Lily, something she had yet to thank him for, but Lily found herself always flying off the handle when he was around. Sometimes she wondered why he bothered with her; but that thought was often quickly cast aside. She obviously just loved the 

arguments-Lily had to admit he was the only person who could yet her so riled up and it return she liked seeing him so passionate. A fact Lily found hard to hide.

"Why do you prank Slytherins?" The words tumbled out of her mouth before she had time to stop them. Her eyes widened slightly as James stopped walking, "That isn't any of you business." James replied gruffly but couldn't resist a glance behind him. Lily had her hands around her mouth and her green eyes were wide with fright. He never wanted Lily to be scared of him. He sighed, his eyes moving away, "Come on…let's keep going." Lily followed silently, occasionally, her eyes flickering to him.

They were nearing the Gryffindor common room and Lily was finding it unbearable. She hated the uncomfortable silence that had lasted the night. Lily raked her brains for something intelligent to say. "Is Peter still in the Hospital Wing?" James nodded. She seemed to be debating about something when she finally sighed, "Look…just go and stay with Peter…"

James frowned, his forehead wrinkling cutely. "I thought you were against me wandering around at night." Lily's eyebrows furrowed as she replied, "You'd do it anyway…that's the kind of friend you are." Her green eyes stared up at him briefly before she ran off towards the common room. James watched her silently disappear into the shadows before pulling the invisibility cloak out of his pocket and covering himself with it. Her words echoed in his mind as he made his way towards the Hospital Wing, "That's the kind of friend you are."

Well there you have it. I have to say this was co-written by my best friend aka xiceflamex.

If you like twilight check out her stories, she is amazingly awesome. Honest ;)

Anyway leave me a comment xx


	10. Sirius Trouble

_Hey guys I know I say I only update at weekends but I was really in the writing mood so here you go! I'm sure you won't complain ;)_

_I just want to say I really do appreciate the reviews, even if they're only one word or a smiley face or something. It means a lot so please please review :)_

_Disclaimer-sorrie _

**Chapter 10-Sirius trouble**

It was late when Lily left the library; the moonlight was shining through the open windows and leaving pools of light in the empty corridors. Lily shifted the heavy books that were in her arms and pushed a strand of her long red hair behind her ears-it had been a long day. It was 9 o'clock and Lily still hadn't been back to her room. Lily had stayed late in the library finishing off an essay for DADA and had lost track of time, now she was having to hurry back to her common room before any of the prefects came and found her out of bed.

As Lily approached the common room she shared with James she could hear music pounding from behind the portrait and loud laughter. Her features hardened as she realized James was having a party. Lily screeched the password to Shelly and rammed into the door, making it swing open.

Lily marched into the room and her eyes widened as she saw numerous bottles of fire whiskey around the room. James was draped casually across a chair swigging from a bottle of fire whiskey. The top buttons of his shirt undone and his tie discarded on the floor with four others. James had a smile on his face but Lily could see from the door that his eyes were hollow. On the floor beside James Remus was sat, his eyes darting worriedly from Peter who was unconscious on the floor to Sirius on the couch. Sirius was sitting on the couch with no shirt on. Riley was straddling his lap and kissing him enthusiastically as she dragged her fingers up and down his back. Lily gasped in horror as she heard Sirius moan loudly and push Riley down on the couch, so she was laying underneath him. James staggered up as he heard Lily gasp, his face a mask of horror. He rushed towards Lily who looked as if she was about to spit fire. "This isn't what it looks like!" James shouted desperately over the music but Lily just folded her arms, letting her books fall to the floor with a thud.

"Then what the hell is it!? You are throwing a party on a school night with your drunken friends in _my_ common room!" Lily screamed. Not noticing that Remus had switched off the music and was listening intently to their conversation. "I can't believe you! You went on last year about how you had changed and you make me feel so guilty for thinking you were still the same arrogant prat but here you are, head boy, having a party were you are serving alcohol! How reckless can you be!" Lily hissed but James stood his ground.

He glanced at his friend and pulled Lily into the corner, dropping her arm immediately."Sirius needed to get his mind of things-he just got a letter from his parents. They're disgusting and they treat him like filth, yet I know he still wants them. He wants them to love him so much. He keeps every single hatred-filled letter, even though it kills him inside. So excuse me for trying to make his life just a little bit better by making him forget what kind of family he has for one night." James whisper shouted, his eyes were full of tears and the pain was unmistakable, even to Lily. She however choose to ignore it, she turned her head away with a look of disgust.

Lily narrowed her eyes dangerously and took a step closer to James so she could stare fiercely into his hazel orbs. "I don't care Potter. I learnt not to trust what you said right from the very beginning. You have an unconscious student in the room and a drunk one! You haven't changed one bit, you're still the same self-centered, uncontainable, egotistical toerag you were last year. I loathe you! I wish you'd die or something. Oh and I'm going to Dumbledore first thing tomorrow morning-I'm requesting for your badge to be taken away." She replied coldly, her eyes boring into his. James just shook his head, trying to wipe the hurt from his eyes. He turned it into angry, a trait him and Lily both had when they were upset.

"You know what, I don't care. Tell Dumbledore-get my badge stripped. I'd rather have that done than have to work with a selfish bitch for the rest of the year." James hissed as he shoved Lily out of the way. James stormed over to Sirius and untangled him from Riley. Throwing on arm over his shoulder he dragged the surprised and extremely drunk Sirius out of the common room. Remus quickly lifted Peter over his shoulder and stumbled out of the common room.

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"James?" Remus asked softly, his eyes clouded over with concern for his friend who had not uttered a word since they had returned to the dormitory, other than to ask if he could borrow some clean clothes tomorrow. "I know you're awake Prongs." Remus stated when James did not turn over in his bed.

"What!?" James snapped, clearly fed up. He pulled the covers up over his head so he couldn't have to face his friend. Closing his eyes he fought hard to keep his emotions in check.

"Are you ok?" Remus questioned hesitantly, sitting up in his bed so he could see James more clearly. James didn't answer. "James?"

James flipped over and eyed Remus viciously. "What do you want me to say Moony! Of course I'm not ok-I've tried so hard not to love her anymore. I would give anything not to love her anymore." James eyes were blazing as he finally looked at Remus. "She hates me," He added softly, "And I can't stand liking her anymore. I don't even want to be around her!" James sighed loudly and covered his face with his pillow. "I don't know what to do Moony." Came James muffled croak.

"Just try and ignore her Prongs, it's not true what she says." James pushed the pillow off his face and looked at Remus with desperate eyes. "Maybe she's right! I am a self-centered, uncontainable, egotistical, toerag!" James muttered. Remus cocked an amused eyebrow, "Do you even know what that means Prongs?"

James nodded glumly, "It means she hates me." Remus sighed and crossed the room to sit on James' bed. James shuffled up the bed a little so Remus had more space and looked at him expectantly. "Prongs, you need to learn to care less what people think. It's not your fault Lily can't see what a great person you are…you don't need Lily in your life to be happy." James rested his hand on his head, mulling over what Remus had said.

"I know Moony, that's the problem. I'm trying to get over Lily, but it's hard. I can't bear to be that cold to her but it's the only way." Remus smiled sadly and patted James on the shoulder.

"I know you can do it." Remus whispered.

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Lily leant against the wall, observing Riley as the Marauders left. Riley pulled herself up of the coach and started straightening up her uniform. She yanked her rumpled skirt down to an appropriate length and did up the buttons on her blouse. Bending down she fished one of the ties of the floor and threw it over her shoulder. Then she slipped on her school shoes and started making her way towards the porthole. Lily coughed. Riley turned around sharply, laying eyes on her friend for the first time that evening. Her eyes narrowed. "Riley you're not going out with Sirius." Lily ordered as she came out of the shadows, looking up at the hostile Riley.

"You can't tell me what to do…mom."Riley jeered, folding her arms in an inapproachable way and turning her head away.

I'm head girl I can tell you what to do." Lily pointed out spitefully. Riley gave her a disbelieving look and turned her body a fraction as if to walk away but swung back round, her eyes blazing. "Is that honestly all you think about? Do you really think you're so much better than us all because your head girl?" Lily said nothing but the truth was she was honestly upset. Did she really act like she was so much better than everybody else? She didn't think she was better than everyone, only Potter. Lily blinked, twice, trying to forget those unpleasant thoughts. Riley tried to exit the room again but Lily caught her arm and tugged her back. "Why were you kissing Sirius, if you don't like him like that?"

Riley sighed; Lily just couldn't comprehend how deep the Marauders friendship went and hers with them. She loved them, no she wasn't in love with them, but she would be anything for them and vice versa. She knew she would never be in the Marauders and they would never love her quite as much as each other but she was ok with that-really. "You wouldn't understand." Riley muttered.

"Try me." Lily bit back.

She sighed, "Sirius is in a lot of pain at the moment, I know he tries to hide it and to everyone else he seems normal but I know he's not ok. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because if he wants you to know he'll tell you, but Sirius needs comfort at the moment. Usually he gets comfort from sleeping with a different girl each night, but that's not enough this time. The difference is I understand him, I don't need to show off I'm his girlfriend to the whole world because I'm not…I'm kind of like his de-stress toy." Riley let out a small laugh at the horrified look on Lily's face. "Sirius needs somebody right now and with me he can forget everything else in his life and just focus on it without worrying about the consequences or the girl thinking she's his girlfriend. Our friendship is strong enough that we can do this and go back to being friends. He can't make me uncomfortable and besides…I like kissing him." Lily was just gaping at Riley, her mouth open, trying to grasp what Riley was telling her.

"So if you like kissing him why aren't you with him?" Lily asked, unable to understand the concept of them being together without being boyfriend and girlfriend.

"He is very…skilled at kissing," Riley couldn't help but burst out laughing and Lily smiled confusedly. "But me and Sirius, we're just friends." Riley gave a small shrug of her shoulders while slyly looking at Lily.

Lily nodded carefully, "Ok, I think I get it. Riley, did Potter do this party to make Sirius forget about his parents?" She queried, not really wanting the answer to be confirmed. Riley nodded slowly, regrettable. "James has the kindest heart of anyone I know, he can't stand to see anybody in pain. You can't fully comfort Sirius when he's like this because he refuses to admit his family gets to him. I sometimes actually think Sirius believes what his parents say to him…Oh Lily, I've seen the letters his parents write, they're horrific." Riley gave a little sob and Lily covered her face with her hands, feeling terrible for both Sirius and James.

"Thanks Riley. By the way I'm sorry for being all high and mighty earlier," Lily meet Riley's eyes with a lot of effort-she hated apologizing. "I'm not any better than you, I know that." Riley gave her a small hug before disappearing out of the common room. "Night." The words echoed around the room long after Riley had actually left. Lily stared around the empty common room, suddenly not liking the fact she was staying her alone that night.

_Well there it is. And I posted one yesterday as well! Lucky you lot ;)_

_Anyways my next one will probably be out on Saturday or Sunday, you never know when I might feel the urge to write some l&j lurve._

_Anyways love you all xx_


	11. M talk

Hiya! Once again thanks so much for reading and I hope you like this chapter. It's mainly the Marauder's but has a little bit of Lily at the beginning and a little L&J…hate at the end LOL.

Anyways thanks again for all who put me on story alert and stuff but really thanks to the people who review. I love talking to other people on FF so I usually reply back to all your reviews. But here a plea-I know everybody asks you to review and I know most of you can't be bothered. I feel the same way but I really really love reviews! They make my day. So yeah, think about it. Oh and like I've said before any ideas or suggestions are very welcome.

Disclaimer-If I was J.K Rowling I have bought a home in Canada, have a king charles spaniel, a horse, a grizzly bear, a moose and a reindeer. Oh and I would live on full fat milk.

**Marauder talk**

Lily shuffled into the cold common room and looked around. It was dark; there was not a whisper of sound or slightest movement. Lily sighed, her eyes involuntarily darting towards empty James' room. She walked over to the unlit fire and aimed her wand. The fire began to burn, bringing immediate light and warmth into the room. Lily heaved another sigh and let herself fall backwards onto the couch. Pulling her bag onto her lap she started to empty the contents; a piece of crumpled paper, a tissue, a few notes from Riley, her DADA homework and a broken quill. She rummaged through her bag frantically looking for the right piece of paper, tossing the other ones onto a pile on the floor. Finally she pulled out the last piece of paper in her bag, it read _Head Discussion Topics_. Lily scanned the document briefly before placing it carefully on the table beside her. Lily's eyes wandered up the stairs again and she scolded herself. Glancing at the piece of paper she sighed as she realised she would be doing all the work once again.

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The Marauder's were lounging in the nearly empty Gryffindor common room. Their casual appearances contrasted with their grim expressions. "I don't want to talk about her anymore!" James whispered fiercely, keeping his voice down so the people who were craning their necks to hear the Marauder's conversation couldn't. "But Prongs!" Sirius pleaded, leaning forward in his seat, trying to convey his concern to James through their eye contact. James broke it and Sirius exhaled noisily, blowing his bangs out of his face in exasperation. Remus tilted his head to the side, debating on whether to intervene or not. When he saw Sirius open his mouth her decided too, "Padfoot, just leave it. We'll talk about this later. Let's just try and have a good evening." Sirius carefully wiped his face off all emotion as he nodded. They all settled back uncomfortably in their seats; Sirius refusing to look at any of them, Peter messily scrawling an essay due tomorrow while Remus frowned at his spelling errors, changing them as Peter went along and James trying to avoid the gaze of a member of his fan club while he looked around the common room.

Remus cleared his throat nosily causing the three other Marauder's to look at him. "So Quidditch soon. You boys excited?" Remus inserted a sure conversation opener and grinned as his friends immediately began to smile and chat. "So how many new spaces do we need to fill?" Sirius questioned, James cocked his head thinking for a moment. "Only two I think-Chaser and beater." Both grimaced at the thought of having new partners, Remus rolled his eyes. When they started talking rapidly about Quidditch plays and devising new tactics Remus stopped following their conversation.

He took the time to examine his best friends. Both looked worn out and tired. Through an outsiders' eyes you would see two striking young boys talking excitedly and playfully bickering. You would see them lounging casually, eyeing up two girls in the corner. No-one ever saw the other side of the Marauders…except for a few close friends and Lily although she didn't know it.

"I know…when shall we have the tryouts? I reckon that guy…Smith, I think, wasn't a bad beater at the tryouts last year." Sirius suggested, scribbling down names on a parchment. James nodded, " And, May Hue wasn't bad at all for the chaser…nor was Kiera." He frowned, poking Sirius' parchment, "What you writing?" Sirius snatched it away childishly yelling, "Mine, mine!" James easily leant forwards and grabbed it, grinning at Sirius' face, "Ha! I got it!" Sirius pouted, "But Prongs!" James quickly scanned the paper before punching his fist in the air, "Wicked! We have to do this."

"Do what?" Remus asked warily, hoping it didn't involve him dressing up in a ridiculous outfit. Sirius grabbed the parchment back possessively, "Well…let's say it involves the teachers…"James grinned, "Padfoot, you have to make them…" Sirius waved his arms, cutting James off, "Way ahead of you Prongs…got ya!" He grabbed the quill and began writing things down at an alarming rate, ink splattering his nose. Remus read upside down, what Sirius was writing, "By the…they have to…all day…make up…Padfoot!"

Sirius looked up, his grey eyes pleading, "Oh, please Moony, we have to do this! Pretty please? Pretty please with icing on top? It's not harmful to anyone, I swear." Remus allowed the grin to stretch from one side of his face to the other, "Padfoot, it's not dangerous, it's funny and ITS BLOODY AMAZING!" Sirius whooped hugging Remus tightly before doing a war dance around the common room. He yelled into a poor first-year's face, "Moony approves!" The first year whimpered as Sirius finally left him alone. "Pad! Think about this, Lily will kill James if she finds out he was part of this prank!" Both Sirius' and James' frowns deepened. James crossed his arms stubbornly, "Evans doesn't control me. I can and I will do this prank!" Sirius' eyes brightened as James said this and he bounded over to give James a hug. "But…if we get caught I wasn't involved!" James grinned and Sirius barked out a laugh. "Deal!"

"Alright guys…we have this…"Sirius sat down, and the four Marauders huddled as they began the planning.

Riley strolled into the common room, suspicious as it was quiet. She grinned as she saw the Marauder's in a huddle with their backs to her. Silently depositing her bag by the door Riley glared at a young boy who was about to say hello. He scurried, scared, back to his seat but followed Riley's process with his eyes. Riley crept stealthily up behind Sirius. She leant down so her mouth was level with his ear. "Hi baby." She whispered, a smirk on her face. The effect was immediate. Sirius screamed and toppled off his chair, the other Marauders jumped and fell onto a pile on the floor. Riley sprung delicately onto Sirius' warm chair and curled up, a smirk on her face. Sirius raised his head to glare at her before letting it drop to the floor with a groan. "Hey what's this?" Riley reached curiously towards the piece of parchment which had many diagrams and crossings out on it. Immediately all the Marauders scrambled up trying to grab the paper, but their limbs were tangled and they fell back into a heap. James looked around frantically before whipping out his wand and stunning Riley. He pulled himself up and snatched the parchment putting it safely in his back pocket; he un-stunned Riley who's face was frozen in shock. "Sorry Riles, you'll have to wait like everybody else!" Riley pouted and he ruffled her hair with an annoying smile.

James went back to his seat and so did the rest of the Marauders. Sirius came to a stop before Riley, a genuine smile on his face. "Hi baby." He quoted leaning down to kiss her. But Riley put her hands on his shoulders pushing him away gently. His eyes fluttered open in surprise but they rolled when he realised Riley was sulking. Scooping her up, he sat down with Riley on his lap. "C'mon love you'll find out tomorrow!" He tried kissing her again but Riley remained unresponsive. He pulled away but kept his arms locked around her waist. "Whatever, I don't need to kiss you." He murmured but his gaze was set on her lips. Riley raised her eyebrows and licked her lips slowly, grinning as she felt Sirius' grip tighten. "Oh look there's Brad!" Riley exclaimed. Jumping out of Sirius' arms she went up to Brad. Aware that she had all the Marauders attention she winked at Remus before pulling grasping Brad's tie and starting to snog him; to which he responded enthusiastically.

The Marauders laughed as Sirius' mouth dropped open and his forehead wrinkled with a frown. "Go get her!" Remus prodded Sirius, a laughing smile on his lips. Sirius strode towards them and shoved Brad out the way. Pining Riley against the wall he savagely attacked her mouth so that Riley would not want to push him away. Riley smirked victoriously against his lips, her arms snaking around his neck. "I thought you said you didn't need to kiss me?" Riley muttered breathlessly when he pulled away. "I don't," Sirius murmured against her skin, "I just like it."

"Get a room!" James said with a teasing smile, but the concern in his eyes was anything but teasing. Sirius switched their positions so he could wink at James. "Whatever you say!" Sirius took Riley's hand and led her up the boys' staircase. Half-way up Riley stopped making Sirius turn around. The surprise was evident on his face. "Let's go finish planning the prank." She avoided his eyes as she brought him back down the stairs. Sirius hastily rearranged his features from disappointment to eagerness at the upcoming prank as he followed her. Riley turned around at the bottom of the staircase and planted a quick kiss on Sirius' lips. He smiled.

Lily walked into the common room, tired. She was about to head up to the girl's dorm when she noticed the Marauders sitting together, whispering. A frown immediately slipped onto her face as she struggled to decide whether to head over or not. She locked eyes with James, who's head snapped up, his glare told her to stay away. But when had she ever listened to him. As she marched over James nudged his friends; guilt flashed across their faces as they scrambled to collect their sheets of parchment. Lily's eyes flamed, "Potter, what are you doing?" Riley scrambled off Sirius' lap as she tried to save the situation, "Lily…come on! We're waiting." Riley tugged at Lily's arm, her eyes glancing frantically between the two. Lily shrugged her off and continued trying to burn a hole in James with her glare. "I asked you a question." Lily said, clenching her teeth so she wouldn't hex him. James raised an eyebrow and carried on casually flicking through his magazine. Lily made a low hiss and James just looked up, his cold stare in place. "I don't have to answer." James sneered, watching with amusement as Lily got steadily redder. "I'll report you." Lily threatened but much to Lily's chagrin James just laughed. "Oh yeah? What are you going to tell Dumbledore-that the head boy was doing his homework with his best friends. Ooh expel me now!" He replied sarcastically. Lily was close to bursting and the other Marauder's were already anxious about what was inevitably about to come. "Lily, please." Riley begged, Lily relented but not before chucking a piece of paper at James head. He caught it easily and opened it out. Head Discussion Topics. James cursed under his breath, they were supposed to have that done for tomorrow. He grasped the quill Remus was holding out for him and started to scribble ideas. Oh and there was another Heads Meeting tomorrow. Just him and Lily. That ought to be fun.

Hey guys sorry its out so late. I did it and then I deleted the whole thing by accident! It was a major bummer. Anyway its here now a bit was written by my best friend xiceflamex…and no that's not her real name ;)

Hasta la bye bye xx


	12. Hogsmeade

Heyo! This is the next chapter, obviously.

Ok so I know people have been asking when Lily and James are going to become friends but they will I promise. I just enjoy writing it where they are not getting on with each other. It's fun LOL. So yeah, I just want to keep them not friends for a while. Hope everybody is ok with that. Thanks for the comments 

Disclaimer-I'm doing ancient greek. Work it out ;)

**Chapter 12-Hogsmeade**

Lily and James sat opposite each other in their common room, in the middle of their heads meeting. So far they hadn't said more than a few sharp words to each other and were planning on keeping it that was. Lily was neatly copying something out of her planner onto a piece of parchment. James was lounging on the sofa tapping his pen against the side of the table. Lily was becoming steadily frustrated until she snapped, "Will you stop _that_!?" Her eyes were blazing as she glared at James. He looked away, "Sorry." He muttered not sounding sorry at all. A couple of minutes later James started tapping his pen again. Lily stood up and snatched the pen out of James hand. She chucked it across the room and sat back down, pushing a piece of hair irritably behind her ear. James glowered at her for losing his only source of amusement. She smiled sarcastically back and rolled her eyes. He sat back in his chair and folded his arms as he observed Lily.

She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen: even when she was angry, which she was now. The faint blush in her cheeks made her pale skin even more gorgeous and complimented the unusual colour of her hair. Her green eyes were narrowed and focused on her work; except for when they occasionally darted to James and back. He smiled at this observation. Her nose was wrinkled in…irritation? He wasn't sure but James found he couldn't stand being away from her. Even if she hated him. She was like a drug; so enticing and addictive, so intoxicating that he couldn't stay away. No matter how much he wanted too. And he did. This year though, this year things were different. _She seemed_ different. It was if James was suddenly open to her flaws. Before she had been James' goddess, he worshiped at her feet. She had been perfect. But now, James could see she was not perfect. Far from it actually. But it didn't matter anymore; James was over her. She could shout and scream and criticize him as much as she liked but it wouldn't get to him. Because he didn't care about her anymore. He couldn't-it hurt too much to care.

"Stop it!" Lily shrieked and James was brought out of his dream world with a shudder. "Huh?" James mumbled confusedly, staring at Lily with unfocused eyes. "That!" Lily jabbed her finger at James and he started backwards with surprise, "Staring at me! Quit it." James' cheeks tinted pink and Lily watched in amazement as his gaze dropped to the floor with embarrassment. Lily calmed down and her breathing started to slow as she quietly sat back down. The room was uncomfortable silent again, with Lily scribbling and James looking anywhere but at Lily. "Potter." Lily said gruffly, unhappy to be breaking the silence and refusing to look him in the eye. "Its Hogsmeade this weekend." James looked confused. "So?" Was his reply. Lily gave a frustrated sigh as she fought to keep her temper under control. "We have to organise it." She informed James who looked unimpressed. "What's there to organise." He yawned, stretching his arms way above his head, so much so that Lily got a flash of his tanned stomach beneath his shirt. Lily snapped her gaze back and her cheeks flooded with heat as she realised she'd been staring. "There are loads of things to organise." Lily informed him icily but James remained looking unimpressed. Lily gritted her teeth, "We have to make sure all the years get there safely and that they all have permission slips. And we have to show the third years around Hogsmeade, show them what's out of bounds and…" Her voice trailed off as James yawned again. "Big deal." Lily felt her temper rise and this time didn't try to control it, "It is a bit deal! You're such a slacker, I can't believe I have to work with you all year. Do you take nothing seriously!?" Lily barracked. James stood up at the same time as Lily and blocked her exit from the room. "That's not fair! I've done my fair share of the work, putting in all the effort you have. The only reason I can't do my job properly is because you have an issue with me and won't let me help!" James half-yelled in frustration. Lily shouldered her bag while staring fiercely at James, "Yeah I do have an issue with you! You…" She trailed off, flushing red as she tried to storm out of the common room. "I'm what!?" James shouted after her but Lily just slammed the portrait door closed. James could hear Shelly complaining and closed his eyes briefly, trying to block out the sense of nausea he felt.

James rubbed his eyes wearily, ignoring the pang in his stomach as they ended get another Head's Meeting with one of them running out. He stood up and shuffled out of the common room, even shaking his head at Shelly who tried to chat him up on the way out. As James wandered into the Gryffindor common room he found Lily curled up in one of the armchairs, a book in hand and a murderous expression on her face. He stiffened but walked straight past her and made his way up the boys stairs to collapse on his old bed. "Mate? You 'k? Sirius questioned and James raised his head. "You know what-I am. I'm not going to let her get to me, I'm done with this." Peter looked confused until Sirius mouthed Lily at him. "That's the spirit Prongs." Sirius grinned at the thought of having his best friend back. James grinned back, "Wanna go to the kitchens?"

Lily watched as James disappeared up to his old room. I guess I'll be sleeping alone again she thought. Lily sighed, putting her book down after reading the same sentence for the past 10 minutes. She didn't notice Alice sit down next to her until she spoke. "A penny for your thoughts?" Alice smiled encouragingly but Lily just muttered on word-Potter. Both their gazes were drawn to the staircase as the Marauders all tumbled it all laughing and joking. Lily frowned at the complete difference in character from the Potter she had argued with half an hour ago. They watched the Marauders strut their way out the common room without a backwards glance.

Lily stood in silence as she watched James approach her. She watched as his teasing smile slipped off his face as he stopped in front of her and a blank expression cloaked his features. James said bye to his friends, seeing them off with a look of longing. The two heads walked in an uncomfortable silence until out of the castle and down to the courtyard where the third years were lined up. "Alright everybody!" James bellowed and the noise dropped considerably; James smiled. "Ok so me and Evans," He gestured to the head girl who was standing a few paces behind him, watching intently. "Will be showing you around Hogsmeade today. You will go only where we tell you too. Got that?" They all nodded mutely but Lily pranced up to James, a condescending look on her face. "Why should they-you never." With that parting comment she gestured to the third years to follow her leaving James clamping his lips together to stop from shouting after her.

James strode up to Lily and took his place at the front of the line. She ignored him and carried on with the tour while James ignored her and joked with the third years. Lily took a quick look over at James, looks like he just got some more members for his fan club she though sullenly. "And over by the ice cream parlour is the beautiful Alice Whittlehall standing with her long time boyfriend Frank Longbottom. Both seventh year Gryffindors they enjoy reading and snogging each others faces off." The third years laughed but James' cheeky smile faded when he saw Lily's face. "Moving on…" Lily halted and crossed the street to get to Alice. "Alice! Frank!" Alice and Frank turned around, both with identical loved-up smiles on their faces. Alice noticed Lily's annoyed facade as she heard James' booming laugh accompanied by some high pitched giggles. "Let me guess, he asked you out." Alice sighed, "I've never know why you didn't just give him a chance. Cut the guy a break, it's our last year!" "He didn't ask me out Alice!" Lily snapped and Alice's expression became dumbfound and incredulous. "He didn't!?"

"No!" Lily huffed, glaring at her friend, "He hasn't asked me out since last year for your information!" Lily hissed, turning her glare to the back of James head. "Surely you'd be happy then! It's the first Hogsmeade where James Potter had not been pestering you for a date!" Alice looked confused when Lily didn't smile, "I am happy!"

"You don't look it." Alice muttered and Frank grabbed her hand when Lily's eyes flashed. "Evans we're leaving now, so come on! I do have a life outside being Head Boy you know!" James yelled across the street and the third years laughed. Lily turned a darker shade of red and her eyes flashed more wildly. "I'm coming!" She screamed and the third years laughed again. She stomped across the street and ran to catch up with the third years. Alice just shook her head and snuggled closer to Frank.

"Agh! Padfoot!" James yelled as Sirius leapt onto his back making James stagger forwards. Sirius slipped of his back, pouting, "How'd you know it was me?" James rolled his eyes, "Peter and Remus aren't as mad or as heavy as you…Padfoot!" Sirius was lifting up his top and examining his toned stomach while the third years were gawking; the boys in envy and the girls in adoration. "I'm not fat! Stop staring at meeee!" Sirius screamed at the third years and they all took a cautious step back. Remus groaned, "Honestly, Prongs…couldn't you think before you open your mouth?" James shook his head as he sprung forwards to drag Sirius away from a fifth year. "Obviously not…how about we go to…Honeydukes?" James suggested, his eyes glancing towards the sweet shop.

"Sweets!"Sirius dived towards the shop. Two voice chimed in together, "Prongs!" James just grinned roguishly. "Ok midgets listen up!" The third years all turned to him and ceased their chatter, making Lily's complaint sound louder. "Don't be disrespectful!" Lily chastised James who rolled his eyes in reply. "You may all disappear now! Remember I have eyes everywhere!" The third years scampered off and were all out of view in a couple of moments. The Marauders also left, to find Sirius who was somewhere in the sweetshop. Suddenly Lily was all alone in the street.

Ok so I have a question. A couple of chapters ago Sirius' and Riley's relationship was explained. So the question is do you guys want them to become a proper couple or not? Let me know-I'm undecided.

As always,

xshrimpyx


	13. My Hero

Hi guys! It's me again, I want to so many people for sending me private messages or posting a review. The few people who have mentioned Riley and Sirius said they thought they would be a couple. Tell me what you think! ;)

Also in the past few chapters people have posted reviews asking when Lily and James are going to become friends-soon I promise! There are just a few more things left to do before they try the friendship route. Please don't lose interest! So anyway, keep those reviews coming and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer-I wouldn't be doing stupid GCSE's if I was J.K Rowling now would i?

**My Hero**

James walked briskly out of the three broomsticks, waving goodbye to his friends, already late for meeting Lily to take the third years back to the castle. James heard a scream followed by a sob and a jumble of words. His eyes darted around but nobody was reacting to the scream. James put his head down and continued striding up the cobbled street. A minute later another tortured scream pierced the air and James started sprinting towards the sound. James swung round the corner into the alley way. A small girl, who couldn't be older than a first year, was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor; her body trembling uncontrollable as she tried to bear the pain of what James suspected to be the Cruciatus curse. James immediately whipped out his wand and threw a shield over the girl. It was only then the five Slytherins noticed the head boy; their expressions turned malicious as they realised it was four against one in a dark alley where nobody but the semi-conscious first year was a witness.

No words were exchanged but spells were flying. Sweat started to gather on James' forehead as he fought to stop the onslaught of spells. James shield wavered before sliding of the girl. The tallest Slytherin noticed and quickly cast a spell that had the girl writhing in pain and screaming. James' eyes reflected blind fury as he dove to the ground, casting protection over both of them. From the safety of his shield he tried to calm the girl's screaming from the burning in her veins. His wand was blurry back and forth as he stumbled to his feet and dodged out of the way as his shield was penetrating again. The girl cried out in desperation as curses started being thrown at her. James' yelled a mixture of spells in quick succession and managed to knock two of his attackers of his feet. James made another Slytherin collapse when his attention was directed to the two recovering attackers. James was panting badly and his breath was coming out in short gasps as the Slytherins who he thought he had defeated staggered to their feet. Another agonized scream made James release he wouldn't be able to last much longer and there was only one possible outcome.

Lily had been racing towards the anguished screams for ten minutes. Her wand was brandished in one hand while the other held back her swinging red hair. Lily sprinted round the corner as she heard another cry. Lily stopped dead in her tracks at the scene before her. She instantaneously recognised James duelling with Sirius' cousin Bellatrix. James was also holding off four other attackers Lily realised with a gasp. Rage started to build in Lily until she saw the helpless girl protected only by James faltering shield charm. "Potter!" Lily screamed in desperation, the effect was the opposite of what Lily wanted though. James whipped around; a petrified look in his eyes which Lily was sure wasn't fear for his own safety. Lily screamed again; her cry merging in with the girl's as James was slashed by a curse. His chest started pouring blood out of the evidently deep wound and his breathing became even shorter. He still managed with to throw his extend his charm to protect Lily from a curse that wouldn't have missed if it hadn't bounced off the shield. "Evans! Take the girl…hospital wing…get Marauders!" James panted, barely flinching as another hex cut through his skin. "But…you can't hold them off by yourself, you might get hurt!" Lily protested when she figured out shrieking 'I'm head girl-stop this immediately!' wasn't going to work. James took his eyes of the attackers for once second and they locked with Lilys', "Please." His eyes begged with Lily and she knew he wasn't going to give up. "I'll be back with teachers as soon as possible!" Lily promised as James continued to battle intensely. Lily threw a curse at Bellatrix before she could get Lily and ran over to the girl. She struggled to lift her but somehow managed. "The Marauders!" James commanded and Lily bit her lip but found herself agreeing. She ducked out of the way and cast a shield charm to protect her back while she raced out of the alley, Slytherins firing at her back.

Lily waited anxiously in the common room for James. She had sent the Marauders to his aid and later Dumbledore but had not heard a word of what happened after she left with Annabel, the first year Gryffindor James had been fighting to protect. Annabel was now safe with Madame Pomfrey but Lily was contemplating what happen to James; sinister thoughts running through her head. True James had somehow been able to fight of four seventh year Slytherins but he was exhausted when she had left him and had had several deep wounds. She shouldn't have left him, Lily knew that. Lily groaned loudly and collapsed into the armchair, her head in her hands. What happens if something dreadful had happened to him, maybe the Marauders didn't get there in time. To her alarm, and perplexity, Lily's eyes started to water. She blinked them back; James would be ok. He was the most skilled duellist in the school, with the exception of maybe Sirius. Who had picked up many more dark curses from his family. But Annabel had said James had already been holding them off for about fifteen minutes when Lily arrived. Lily felt the tears gather again but the portrait door swung open and to Lily's relief a tall figure limped his way in, his concerned friends behind him. Lily rushed up to him, "Are you ok?!" James nodded distractedly and turned to address his friends. "I need to go check on the girl." The remaining three Marauders turned away.

"And I need to go curse the crap out of Bellatrix." Sirius muttered darkly but James grabbed the front of his shirt and made him look him in the eye. "You will not do anything to Bellatrix or anybody else." Sirius refused to meet his eyes, "Promise me Padfoot." Sirius shook his head regrettably. "I'm not going to promise you something I can't keep Prongs." James forced him to look in his eyes. "If our friendship means anything, you'll promise me you won't touch them." Lily could see Sirius looked utterly torn and the desolation was in his eyes. "But Prongs why!? They deserve it, those slimy bastards…they will pay for touching my best friend." This was he point at which Remus stepped in and James took a step back, almost crashing into Lily. "Padfoot, don't." Sirius searched both his friends' eyes before nodding slowly. James put a hand on Sirius' shoulder, wincing slightly from the wound in his side, "Thanks."

"Now I'm going to go visit the girl." The other Marauders sat down on the couch, obviously waiting for James return. Everybody seemed to forgotten Lily was there. Lily followed James quietly out of the common room. She didn't speak a word and wasn't sure James even registered she was there. Until he said, "Thanks."

"For what?" Lily cocked her head and looked over at James as they ambled slowly down the corridor. "For taking the girl and for getting the Marauders."

Lily shrugged, "I didn't really do anything." James didn't reply and they were silent until they pushed through the doors into the hospital wing. James scanned the room and started towards the only occupant of a bed. Lily followed. James perched carefully on the end of her bed and gently shook the girl awake. She bolted upwards and her eyes widened at the sight of James Potter, Head Boy and Marauder sitting on her bed. James smiled, "How are you?"

"I…I'm ok." James examined her for any external damages left. There were none except for a long slit down her arm. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from hurting you-I wasn't good enough…I" Annabel's mouth dropped open, "No!" She cried, "You saved me! You're my hero!" She launched herself into James' arms and James hugged her tightly trying to forget the searing pain through his chest. He stroked her hair softly and she sighed, looking up at him with adoring eyes. Lily rolled her eyes in irritation as James pulled back and Annabel sighed in regret.

Annabel gasped when she realised her clean shirt now had blood on it. "Your chest is bleeding!" Lily stood up and came to confirm it. She looked into his face worriedly as she called Madame Pomfrey. Madame Pomfrey marched swiftly over to them and took one glance at James chest. "Take your shirt off and lie on that bed." She commanded and James groaned. "Poppy there is nothing wrong with me, I just came to see…" "Annabel." Lily supplied. "James Potter you will lie down on that bed this instant and you will take off your shirt so I can inspect your wound." James groaned again and yanked his shirt over his head and flopped down on the bed next to Annabel. Annabel lay there gawking at James' bare chest while he was unaware only having eyes for Lily's empty seat. She had said goodnight and left while Madame Pomfrey was getting James some medication.

"James." Professor Dumbledore said, the amusement clear in his eyes as they all heard the now familiar giggling start up outside their door. Lily gritted her teeth in irritation as the giggling continued, only louder this time. "I do believe that is Miss Annabel outside." James rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I'm sorry Professor, Bel won't leave me alone!" Dumbledore chuckled, "She's become rather attached?" James nodded and Dumbledore grinned again. "Ah well."

As Lily and James left the classroom where their meeting had been held they were aware of three small figures shadowing their path. "Hi Bel." James said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Hi James." She giggled, her friends already ogling him. James groaned internally as Lily stalked off and left him conversing with the newest members of his fan club.

Thanks for reading! Press the little review button for suggestion and stuff. It makes me happy ;)

Peace to you all xx


	14. Happy Halloween

Hola! How's everybody doing? Well I hope. Sorry I posted this one a bit late, but it is the weekend still! I don't think I have much to say except that my next chapter might not be for over a week. Sorry! But in compensation this one is a longer than usual! But on a happier note-it's the holidays soon! So happy Halloween! This is for all of the trick or treaters who are really to old to still be collecting sweets but do it anyway, don't worry I still do! Anyway hope to here from you all soon wink wink lol

Disclaimer-I still trick or treat and I'm 14. Do the maths.

**Chapter 12-Happy Halloween**

The weeks leading up to Halloween had pasted quickly for everybody in Hogwarts-Head Boy and Girl especially. Between work, hanging out with friends and sleeping Halloween had crept up on the students. It was not to be an unpleasant surprise though.

Lily was sprawled underneath her favourite tree with James. They had decided, well rather Lily had decided and James had gone along with it, that they would have that day's head meeting outside. They were sitting, as usual, in complete silence, not speaking unless they had to. James was staring out at the lake and every once in a while he would jot something down on the piece of paper. Lily took this opportunity to examine him. After all James Potter was a mystery to her.

James was lying on the grass with his feet leaning against the tree trunk. His shirt was half unbuttoned and un-tucked as it was an unusually warm evening. His relaxed stance suggested that he was in familiar company and one he was comfortable in but Lily knew this wasn't true. Lily never stopped pondering what had happened over the summer. He had been especially weird since he had gone to talk to Dumbledore about the Slytherin attack. And yes it was the Slytherins, despite the fact Lily had made her usual comment about him being unfair and prejudiced against them. Still since that night he had come back to their dorm. Now Lily wasn't alone at night; she had to admit that gave her reassurance even if he was _James Potter_.

James was casually observing Lily while her head was turned. She mystified him; why was she staring at him? Had he got something on his face? He quickly patted down his face, he found nothing and this seemed to confuse him even more. James gave out a puzzled sigh; she probably wasn't even looking at him. He glanced over his shoulder: nothing. Ok so she was looking at him. The question was why? It always seemed to come back to that question with Lily. She was so different to any girl he had ever met, he never knew what to expect from her. She was never straight-forward of predictable. But that made her all the more attractive, even if she didn't know it.

"Evans?" James' timid question broke the silence. Lily put down her quill and turned to face him. She jerked back when she realised how close his legs were; she was almost lying on them. "Yes?" James looked torn, Lily realised, "Yes." She said impatiently when James didn't answer. James took a deep breath and steadied himself to look into her depthless green eyes. They connected and Lily was almost knocked over by the power his eyes held for her. She really should have anticipated that; it happened every time their eyes met. "Sirius is having a Halloween party in the Heads Common room on the 31st October. It's our last year and I've already agreed to it, so there is nothing you can do about it, but I just thought I would inform you." Lily was immensely irritated by the superior tone in his voice. Her own tone was clipped when she replied, "Then why did you bother telling me?" James just shrugged and turned away.

Sirius strolled down to the lake and searched the grounds for his friends. He noticed James sitting with Lily under a tree; he could see from that distance that his best friend was uncomfortable. Scanning the area again he located Riley, Remus, Peter and two of Lily's friends-Alice and Marlene sprawled on the grass a little way away from Lily and James. He bounded up to them and flopped down on the ground between Riley and Peter. "So you guys excited for Halloween?" This question let off a chain of animated chatter that kept them occupied until the two disgruntled heads arrived.

It was obvious they had been bickering from the glares they were sending each other. Lily spread her coat on the grass beside Remus before lying down. James looked round the circle; the only spare place was next to Lily. He sighed inwardly and collapsed onto the grass, not missing the poisonous look Lily gave him. "Well before you two rays of sunshine came we were talking about the Halloween party!" Sirius grinned but his quick eyes did not miss James' soft groan and Lily's glower. "Now come on Lily flower! It's going to be fuuuuuuuuuun!" Sirius enthusiasm was hard not to catch and Lily found her lips quirked a smile. Sirius jumped up, aware by now he had the attention of the whole courtyard, and grabbed Lily's hands, causing her to stumble up with him. "There's going to be dancing!!" He shouted before bowing elegantly to Lily, the twinkle evident in his grey eyes. Lily curtsied with a big smile before Sirius took her hand and place it on his shoulder, his own on her waist. He took a sneaky glance towards James, who much to his dismay, did not look at all angry. James merely smiled when Sirius took off in a gallop with Lily, spinning and twirling her around the grassy slope. They finally stopped in front of their friends, Lily panting and laughing, while Sirius was grinning with not a hair out of place. He let go of Lily and grabbed a unsuspecting Riley round the middle and heaving her to her feet. "And kissingggggggggg!" He proceeded in kissing Riley swiftly on the lips, before letting her go just as quickly, as to not offend anybody. "And friendly chit-chatter!!" He pulled a giggling Marlene to her feet, "So how are the stock markets going?" She played along, "Oh dreadfully darling. I'm afraid the…"

"Okay okay! Stop." Lily laughed. "Well Sirius Black, you've managed to convince me." Sirius looked ecstatic and bounded over to Lily, catching her in a bear hug. He then flopped down next to James who patted him on the back. Lily heard him murmur, "I don't know how you do it mate." Sirius just grinned.

James was nervous. With the Halloween party just two days away he didn't want to do anything to jeopardize Lily's cooperation. But this was more important. "Potter stop that!" Lily's sharp words startled James, "Huh?" James turned around and halted so she could catch up with him. "Stop running your hand through your hair." Lily's reply came through clenched teeth. James' hand immediately dropped out of his hair and he looked down at the floor. The awkward silence resumed and neither made an attempt to break it until Lily became sick of James' sighs and forlorn expression. "What is it?" James' eyes darted up nervously but he didn't speak. "For Gods' sake spit it out!" They locked eyes and Lily tried to decipher the emotion in his carefully concealed eyes. "I can't do patrol tomorrow night." Lily's expression immediately hardened. "Why not?" She questioned her tone as cold as ice. James' broke eye contact, "I can't tell you." He mumbled. Lily's eyes started glaring daggers at him and her face started to flush an angry red. "You can't tell me!?" James nodded hesitantly and Lily grabbed his arm as he tried to continue walking. She advanced on him, her eyes pinning him to the wall. "You are the most despicable, filthiest scumbag I have ever had the misfortune to meet! I cannot believe I am stuck with you for a whole year! You don't deserve this position, you can't even think up a valid excuse for not coming to patrol tomorrow night. But you know what, I don't care, in fact I'm thankful I won't have to see your conceited face tomorrow." James just stood their, his face void of emotion as Lily ranted at him. Her face was so close he could smell her minty breath and feel the heat radiating off her skin. "You know what why don't you just not do patrol again. I would honestly prefer anybody but you." She spat. James nodded his head ever so slightly but the mask didn't slip off his face, "I have somebody fill in for me." He said in a neutral voice before walking off down the corridor into the darkness.

'Why did I agree to this?' Lily though wearily as she watched the Halloween party from her seat by the fire. The party was now in full swing and people had stopped flowing through the porthole, so it had been properly secured and made sound proof. The music was blaring through two huge speakers that were pulled into the wall. Lily was sure that any minute they were going to blow a fuse. All the furniture in the room had been pushed against the walls to make a dance-floor. Sirius had bewitched it so that the tiles flashed randomly and brightly. It was giving Lily a headache, or maybe it was the punch she was drinking. Lily was sure it was spiked, after all Sirius had set up this party. And it did have a funny after taste. Lily shook her head as she surveyed the room again, making sure nobody was up to anything too wild. Apart from Riley, who was already drunk and dancing on a nearby table, everybody seemed to be ok. Lily smiled as she saw Sirius, typically, dancing with about 10 different girls all at once. They were flocking him and shoving each other out of the way. Lily waved as she caught Sirius' eye and he winked.

Lily was bored; parties were not her thing. She looked around the room in search of her friends. She located her best friend Alice dancing with Frank, her long time boyfriend. They were slow-dancing to the upbeat song, but seemed completely oblivious to the world. Lily 'awwed' under her breath. Her eyes travelled unconsciously to a messy haired youth who was standing with Remus and a girl. His arm was around the girl's waist and Lily could see from the Cheshire grin on her face she was enjoying it immensely. James wasn't paying much attention to the girl though, he was more worried about Remus. Lily could see, even from across the room, he didn't look well. His skin was pasty and a small scar was visible by the neckline of his shirt. He had dark bags under his eyes and he looked drawn and in need of a good night's sleep. Lily wondered why Remus looked like that, but then remembered he had looked ill all week. "Hi Lily." A young man who looked vaguely familiar was smiling at Lily. "Hi…"

"Jason." He supplied and Lily smiled. "Do you wanna dance?" Lily thought for a second, weighing the pros and cons. She smiled again and offered him her hand, "Sure." It beats sitting here all night Lily thought.

Lily was drained. She had passed her time making small talk with various different people and dancing with some of the older Gryffindors. Now she was tired, her head hurt and she couldn't see any of her friends. Except for Sirius who was having a lot of fun with a blonde of the couch. And Peter who was lying unconscious on the floor. But neither were really in any position to talk. Music was still blasting from the speakers and the party was nowhere near dead. Lily decided to head upstairs and deal with the mess in the morning. Lily debated on breaking up the party, it was already 1 o'clock, but Lily decided to leave it. She couldn't be bothered with the fuss and she was exhausted.

She tried to open the door to her room but it wouldn't budge. Lily hammered on the door and furiously pulled at the handle, "Hello!? Get out of my bedroom!" Lily let out a frustrated scream that was lost due to the music. Glaring she looked around the dark hall. Across the hall James' door was open. Lily quickly crossed the hall and walked in. The room was in darkness so she flicked on the switch. She heard a groan and to her mortification James emerged from under his covers. "Evans?" He mumbled. Lily started backing out the door, "Uh-yeah. Sorry I just…sorry. I'll go." James bolted upright. "No its ok-stay." James searched for his glasses; Lily moved to his bedside table and handed them to him. "Thanks."

It was then that Lily noticed another body in James' bed. Her eyes widened, "Oh my God. There's a girl in your bed." She took a sharp intake of breath and started backing out the room again. James shook his head wildly and jumped out of his bed and caught her arm. "It's just Riley. She was knocked out on the floor so I carried her up to my bed." James reassured her. James dropped Lily's arm suddenly, "So what are you doing here?" He asked, not altogether nastily but not too kindly either. "Somebody has locked my room from the inside and I really wanted to go to sleep…and well yours is the only other bedroom…" She trailed off embarrassed. It was only then she realised James was only in his boxers, he seemed unaware as Lily's cheeks flamed red. James nodded, "You can share my bed with Riley, I'll sleep on the floor." Lily protested, "I can't take you bed, you…" James waved her quiet. "I insist." Lily could see he wasn't going to change his decision. "Thanks." She whispered. James grabbed a pillow and a spare sheet from his wardrobe and lay them on the floor while Lily climbed into his bed beside Riley.

"Happy Halloween."

There you have it!! applause applause You know the drill. Hope you all have a good Halloween!

As always

xshrimpyx


	15. Friends?

Hola mi lovelies! Que tal? J

This one's going to be another long one

Oh and in case you haven't realised this is going to be quite a long story-but stick with me for the ride-it will be good.

Ok so random fact time…I'm wearing blue nail polish! And I've got 'so what' by pink stuck in my head. It's awesome dudes-check out the vid.

Btw this chapter is dedicated to my best friend Lucy who is the most awesome person/evil genius ever. Love you! Xx

Disclaimer-do I really look that old? ;)

**Friends?**

Lily groaned as she open her eyes, the bright light streaming in from the window blinding her. She blinked a couple of times. _Where was she? _She looked around frantically-_what had happened last night? _Lily remembered drinking a lot of punch and her pounding head confirmed it was spiked. Lily looked around the semi-familiar room. She racked her brain trying to figure out whose room she was in. Seeing all the Gryffindor banners she realised it was James'. It came back to Lily; her room was locked so James let her stay here. Her face heated up as she remembered what James had been wearing last time she saw him. Where was he? Not on the floor where he was last night, Riley wasn't there either. Lily kicked off the covers and swung her legs out of bed. Padding out of the room she cocked her ear as she heard some mumbling. Reassured she descended the stairs.

Lily smiled at the scene that lay before her. All the other party-goers had been kicked out and only Sirius, Riley and James were still there. Sirius was sprawled out on the couch, his head lolling over the side and his long legs dangling off the end. James was sitting on an armchair with Riley curled up on his lap. He was feeding her a suspicious liquid off a spoon and from the look on Riley's face it tasted as bad as it looked. James looked up and gave Lily a tentative smile. "Morning."

"Morning Potter." Lily wandered into the kitchen area and bent down to open the fridge. Lily gasped as her head started swimming and her vision blurred. James was next to her in an instant and guiding her to a chair. James handed her a cup of the same murky liquid Riley was struggling to swallow. Lily eyed it critically. "It's a hangover potion." James explained as Lily sniffed it warily.

"But I can't have a hangover!" Lily groaned, "I didn't touch any alcohol!"

"I spiked the punch." Sirius volunteered, lifting his head up to grin at Lily. He was lucky she was hung over or he would have been dead meat.

"Oh." Lily muttered before taking a swag from the cup. Lily gagged and spat it back into the cup.

"It's disgusting!" Lily protested and James laughed quietly.

"You get used to it." Lily raised an eyebrow but bravely raised the cup to her lips again. "Oh. I kicked the people out of your room." James said suddenly.

Lily looked up, "Thanks." James nodded awkwardly and walked back to Riley.

~*~

"Mate, is flower feeling ok? She's actually treating you like a human being!" Sirius was incredulous. He pushed himself off the couch into a sitting position and studied his confused friend. "What did you do-snog her?!" James lunged across the table while a laughing Sirius scampered over the back of the couch. Jumping up James leapt over the sofa and chased after his mischievous friend. James tackled him right in front of the stairs and they both crashed, laughing, to the floor.

~*~

"Professor? Is anything wrong?"A concerned red-head asked Professor McGonagall who was perched on her desk.

"Miss Evans, I'm sure you're aware it is NEWT year and I'm afraid your work is not up to standard." Lily's face fell and her cheeks burnt red. "It's not your fault," McGonagall rushed to reassure her, "But I think you should consider a tutor. Perhaps…Mr Potter?"

Lily raised her head, her cheeks flaming even more, "Potter?! There is no way." She exclaimed rudely. McGonagall gave her a stern look and Lily shut her mouth, ashamed.

"Mr Potter is my best student; he got 100% on his last Transfiguration exam!" McGonagall could see Lily was set on not having James as a tutor. She shook her head, "Think about it." She said although she knew Lily wouldn't. Lily walked away as the class began to pour into the room.

Alice went straight to Lily's side, "What did professor McGonagall want to talk to you about?" Lily dumped her bag onto her desk and began roughly emptying it. Alice raised her eyebrow.

"She wants me to get a tutor! She thinks Potter should tutor me!" Lily said his name venomously. She carried on, "Because of course perfect Potter got 100% in the last test," She muttered, "I don't need help from him, just because he's freaking better at Transfiguration that me…" Lily saw James coming and shut her mouth and buried her head in her text book.

"Hi Evans." James gave her a small smile but it slipped off his face when she raised her cold eyes.

"I thought you said she was treating you nicely!?" Peter said as untactful as ever.

James' expression was distinctively hurt and confused, "I thought she was." He murmured, avoiding his friends' eyes.

"Ok partners," Professor McGonagall called the class to order but stopped them as they organised partners. "No I'll assign partners!"

The class groaned and Sirius jumped theatrically to his feet, "But Minnie! I simply cannot live without my Jamesiekins!" The class, laughed as Sirius fell to the ground clutching his hair, in believable distress.

McGonagall's lips twitched, "Mr Black, please refrain from calling me Minnie. I'm sure you can survive an hour without James, if you can't I suggest detention-where you can have some quality bonding time." McGonagall smirked and Sirius grinned devilishly back,

"You know what, that's not a bad…" Sirius was stopped from finishing by James who dragged him back to the bench, a silencing charm stopping Sirius from talking.

"What Sirius means is he'll be happy to be away from me." James gave Sirius a half serious _(excuse the pun ;P)_ glare.

"If you're sure." James nodded vigorously and McGonagall turned away with an amused smile. "So partners; Mr Black and Mr Matthews, Mr Lupin and Miss Summers, Miss Harvey and Miss McDonald, Mr Lupin and Miss Pavarti, Miss Verde and Mr Patent, Mr Pettigrew and Mr Longbottom and Mr Potter and Miss Evans." Lily let out a loud groan and James' face fell again. He quickly covered it but Remus saw and patted him on the back sympathetically; James shook his head. He marched over to Lily who showed no sign of moving and sat silently down next to her.

They worked in complete silence. They were turning each other into cats; James, of course, got it on his first try and turned Lily into a very pretty tabby cat with unblinking emerland orbs. Lily on the other hand was having a harder time; the best she had got was turning James' hand into a paw. She moaned, frustrated and started cursing under her breath. James stepped closer to her cautiously, "Do you need some help?"

"No I don't need your freaking help! I am perfectly capable so just go away!" Lily snapped and James backed off an unreadable look in his hazel orbs. The rest of the lesson was spent in bitter silence. When the lesson ended James streaked out of the classroom before Lily even started packing up.

~*~

Lily stumbled up the stairs, the tears blurring her vision and the sobs preventing her breathing. She collapsed in a heap at the top of the tower, sobbing her heart out. A familiar voice came out of the darkness, "Evans?" Lily raised her head, strangely relived to her the male voice.

"Sirius? What are you doing up here?" She cried to calm her tears but just ended up crying harder. Sirius shushed her and pulled Lily into his arms. He sat there comforting her until Lily calmed down enough to speak coherently.

"Why's my favourite flower crying?" Sirius asked, the concern in his eyes genuine.

"My sister." Lily hiccupped, bursting into a fresh wave of tears. When Lily looked up she saw a desolate boy, his soul troubled. She touched his face,

"Why are _you_ up here?" Lily bit back the tears at the devastating expression on Sirius' face, "The same reason you are." Lily's arms encircled Sirius' waist and she lent into his chest, crying until she was empty. It didn't go unnoticed that a few salty tears fell onto her head.

Sirius pried Lily away from his chest so he could look at her. He brushed a piece of damp hair away from her face and looked deep into her emerald eyes, "What's wrong love?" Lily looked into his caring grey eyes and forgot their differences. She poured her heart out to him, telling him all about her sister Petunia and the horrible messages and letters she got from her. She told him about how Petunia shunned her when she came home and refused to talk to her. Sirius said nothing, just held Lily and offered comfort in the form of hugs. Lily was truly grateful. She looked up at Sirius with compassionate eyes, "Tell me why you're here Sirius?" Sirius sighed and looked out the window, staring into the cloudless sky.

"You know about my family?" Lily nodded hesitantly, watching Sirius carefully. "Two summers ago I was officially disowned." Lily gasped, trying to hide her pity but it was evident in her eyes. "It was just a matter of time before they did. My dear old hag of a mother didn't even bother to tell me herself although she did blast me off the family tree personly. She got Regulus to tell me; He came up to me on the last day of school in fifth year and told me I had to have my stuff out before the next morning otherwise it was being burnt. And that was it. I was thankful that nobody was home when I got my stuff, gave me time to leave a parting gift." The mischievous flame flickered in his eyes before dying out and being replaced by unconcealed pain. "It's so stupid. When I was younger I tried everything to yet my parents' attention. I tried to please them so badly, all I ever wanted was for them to love me. Even half as much as they loved Regulus." Sirius said his name bitterly and didn't try to hide the raw emotion in his eyes. The pain of growing up unloved. "For the first year of Hogwarts I waited every morning for a letter from them, a reply to my pages and pages of parchment. But they never came. Never once was I sent a gift for my birthday or Christmas, not even a card sent from the house elf. Nothing."

Tears were now dripping down Lily's face, "Oh Sirius." She cried softly for him.

As he continued his voice was restricted as if his throat was closed up, "They're heartless murders and I wish I had nothing to do with my family. But sometimes…I just wished I had had someone to love me."

Lily threw herself at him and hugged him fiercely, "Sirius…" But words were not needed: both had just emptied their hearts and souls but neither had words to express their pity for the other.

They just sat their holding each other until Lily broke the quiet, "What got you through?" Lily asked suddenly and Sirius answered instantaneously,

"The Marauders. They were there for me, when no-one else was. Especially James. He took me in, accepted me from the first day even though he knew I was a Black and my family were Voldemort lovers. And I will always be grateful… I would die for him, for any of them." Lily didn't answer. She just put her head back on Sirius' chest.

~*~

James was reading a book when Lily walked into the common room. The fire was low and the shadows were dancing across the walls, illuminating James face. Lily shuffled cautiously towards him. She sat down in an armchair opposite him. "What are you doing up so late?" James raised his eyes for the first time since she had arrived. "Couldn't sleep. You?"

"Same." James nodded and went back to reading his book. Lily was fidgeting nervously. She broke the silence after a couple of minutes. "Potter?" James lifted his head again, "Yes?" Lily twisted her hands in her hair anxiously, "I've decided that we should try and be friends." James was so surprised the book slid out of his hands, he stared at her with his jaw hanging open. "What?" Lily's cheeks were tinted pink. "I think we should be friends." She avoided eye contact but looked at James out of the corner of her eye. "I think everything would run better if we were actually capable of a conversation." Lily gave James a small smile which he returned hesitantly. He was clearly contemplating what Lily had said. He finally spoke after a couple of very long minutes, "It won't be easy Evans, us being friends, after you hating me for 6 years." Lily cringed as she saw the pain flash through James' eyes. "I know. I know it will take work and will be hard but I'm willing to try if you are." James nodded and offered Lily a lopsided grin. "Ok. I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Potter." James turned around and skipped up the staircase.

Lily missed the enormous grin on his face that stayed all through the night as he dreamt about what the year would hold.

So what

I'm still a rock star

I still got rock moves

And I don't need you

TONIGHT

I'm alright

I'm ok

LOL love that song. Anyways the ending was quite how I would have liked it but I'm tired and I wanted to post it today. Hope you like the little Sirius and Lilyness. I though it was cute ;)

Love ya all

xx


	16. Meeting Annabel and Nigel

Hey everybody! How y'all doing? Did you have a happy Halloween? I know I did-me and some of my mates went to my English teachers house for Halloween! She wasn't there so we borrowed some paper from her neighbours and posted the note and some sweets through her letterbox. Lol! We then came back later and she was there! Her husband answered the door and called out the randomest name, lol we were all like omg I can't believe we're actually here. I swear I almost wet my pants ;)

But she came and we talked and she gave us coke…it tasted a bit funny? Should I be worried lol. But tomorrow is Monday and she is sure to mention it in English…ekk. Lol

On with the story- disclaimer: I am not he beautiful and talented J.K Rowling…

**A hard friendship**

James was on his way to herbology. None of his friends were in this class. Well actually he thought I do have a friend in this class: Lily. James grinned widely at this revelation making numerous girls swoon, Lily glanced over her shoulder and gave James a timid smile. She slowed down as if to let James catch up but when she heard his footsteps approaching she sped back up. When she looked over her shoulder James looked confused. Embarrassed Lily rushed into herbology and took her usual seat at the front.

James strolled down the aisle towards Lily no quite knowing how to act. She had said they should try and be friends and she had smiled at him. But apart from that there had been no significant changes in their daily lives. James' forehead crinkled slightly but he quickly shook his head, a smile gracing his features; he was friends with Lily Evans. What more could he want? James slid into the chair beside Lily, "Hi Evans." James said, not too eagerly nor too coldly, "Hi." Lily turned around and waited expectantly. "I just thought I'd let you know that we have patrol today." Lily looked confused, "But we don't patrol on Thursdays?" Her bewildered tone made James smile internally. "The 6th year Ravenclaws' have another meeting today so I said we'd fill in for them."

"Okay, meet you outside the portrait hole at eight?" James gave a brief nod. They sat there awkwardly for a minute. James was shuffling in his seat and Lily avoiding his gaze. "Well I'll see you later then." James shouldered his bag and sauntered back down the aisle. Lily watching him go.

Lily reached the Portrait Hole at eight, sighing in preparation to wait for James. She swept the common room with a glance. Half of the Marauders were lazing in the warm golden glow of the fire as usual. Sirius was sprawled over the sofa, his legs dangling off the end as he read a magazine, occasionally laughing and showing Peter a picture.

"Miss me?" Lily jumped as she heard the deep voice she associated with James Potter. She twirled around to see him leaning against the wall, one leg propped up, hands in pockets and tie loose around his neck. He used his leg to push himself off the wall and strolled over to Lily.

"Coming?" Lily snapped back into reality, nodding, "Sure…" They exited the portrait hole together and started down the cold draughty corridor.

It was silent as they walked along the corridor, their footsteps echoing. James peered at Lily out of the corner of his eyes, taking in every detail of her. Her long red hair was clipped back with a black clip and her petite, pale features emphasised her large Emerald-green eyes. Her cheeks were unusually colourless, emphasising the freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks. He sucked in a strained breath as he looked away, his breath forming white clouds in the air.

Lily wrapped her arms closer around her body, cursing herself for not bringing her warm cloak. She gave James an envious look as he strode ahead, his cloak flapping around him. Her lips curved upwards and she was about to say something when she heard a breathless giggle.

James froze, turning back to the cupboard he'd just passed. He glanced at Lily who caught up quickly. She mouthed at him, "Sirius." He shrugged, replying, "He was in the common room though…or maybe he's with Tyler again." He broke off, musing. Lily huffed and without warning, flung open the closet door. James' eyes bulged as Remus came tumbling out with a black haired girl. The girl gave a nervous giggle and hid behind Remus.

"Moony, what are you doing here?" James asked, giving the Marauder a curious look. Lily seemed to be aghast and her mouth gaped wide open. Remus gave a sheepish shrug, "Well, time seems to fly." He gave a heart-melting smile to the girl. Lily recognised it to be his girlfriend, Phoebe Danube in Sixth Year.

"Hi James, Lily." Phoebe smiled, her hand entwined with Remus. Lily stared at the two of them and something stirred in her heart and she felt a pang as she stared at their linked hands. She turned away and muttered quietly, "Just go, and hope I don't report you." Phoebe's face fell in confusion and James shrugged when she turned to him for an explanation. Her frown was quickly replaced by a smile when Remus whispered something into her ear and tugged at her hand.

Remus it seemed, couldn't believe his luck and the two of them raced down the corridors, laughing. James stared at Lily who had begun wandering down the corridor again, her hands wrapped around herself. She shivered and James suddenly realised she didn't have a cloak.

"Here, Lily, have my cloak." He unclasped his cloak and swung it around her shoulders. She hugged it gratefully, digging her hands in its warm woollen pockets.

"Won't you be cold?" She asked, giving James a doubtful look. James shrugged, "It's not a cold as when you're playing Quidditch." Lily playfully rolled her eyes but kept her comment to herself.

They carried on for another couple of minutes in silence. Ever now and then James would open his mouth as if to say something but jam it shut again when he looked a Lily, not wanting to interrupt her; Lily looked deep in thought and her expression was clearly longing. Longing for what, James did not know. "You ok Evans?" James ventured moving to her side. Lily's trance was broken, "Course I am." She shook herself and picked up the pace, James ambling along next to her.

There it was again; the swish of a cloak and the scuff of a shoe.

A squeak.

James whipped around and hastily pulled out his one, lighting it in the same movement. Lily unconsciously moved closer to a James as she too lighted her wand. They examining the area carefully, looking for any hidden broom closets or en-cloves.

Nothing. James shook his head and turned back around, dimming his wand slightly. Lily moved with him, sticking close to his side, her sharp eyes scanning the shadowy corridor. Lily jumped every time her and James' hands brushed, little shocks going up her veins.

Footsteps. Running.

Lily's eyes widened and she shone her wand behind her, looking around wildly.

They stopped.

The hairs on Lily's neck were prickling and she could see James was creeped out as well. James motioned for them to keep walking, but he kept on glancing behind him into the darkness.

Suddenly James shouted and stumbled forward, knocked by an invisible force. Lily screamed as she saw something attack James and fired a spell at the thing on his back. Lily missed by a hair's breath and the creature gave out a squeal of surprise before toppling off James. He leapt in front of Lily, on instinct to protect her, and aimed his wand at the creature. "Bel!?" James shouted in surprise. Annabel managed smiled widely and propped herself up on her elbows, glaring at Lily. "Hi!" She sang, throwing her arms around James' neck as he lifted her off the ground. James gently pried her arms off his neck and set her down on the floor. "What are you doing here Bel?" James asked curiously, "It's way after curfew." Out of the corner of his eye he saw the unimpressed Lily give an approving nod for his statement. "Well Nigel…"

James held up his hand, "Woah slow down. Who's Nigel?" A figure came strutting out of the shadows. The small blond-haired, brown-eyed boy had a pompous air about him as he knelt by Lily, took her hand and kissed it. Not taking his lips off her skin until she withdrew her hand. She discreetly wiped her hand on James' cloak. "You're Nigel?"

He grinned cockily at her, "Yeah I am babe." James choked on the breath he was taking in and turned an unpleasant shade of red. His eyes bulged again as Nigel asked Lily to go to Hogsmeade with him. "Nigel I told you before, I already have a boyfriend!"

"Wait! You know him?" James spluttered, trying not to be crushed because Lily had a boyfriend. James did wonder why he hadn't known about it before; he knew everything in this school. Lily nodded in reply, "We met as i was leading the first years to the sorting…" "And we instantly had a connection! Right babe," Nigel added; enjoying the fact James was practically radiating anger, although Lily seemed unaware. "All you need to do is get rid of your boyfriend and we can be together." Nigel winked in what he thought was a sexy way, but it looked more like he was having a spasm as James later pointed out. Lily chuckled softly as Nigel blushed from the roots of his hair and glared at James. After all James was the most popular boy in school and it was embarrassing to be insulted by him, especially in front of the girl you fancied.

"Back to the original question, what are you two doing here?" James asked, turning his gaze to Annabel who had been surprisingly quiet all through James and Nigel's meeting. "Well you see one day last week I was skipping down the corridor and then I dropped all my books. So then this boy," She gestured to Nigel, "Came along and helped me get them. So we were talking and then we decided to go down to the Quidditch pitch. And then we saw you getting out of the shower and you only had a towel on…you're body was still glistening and you looked so…" James looked horrified and held up his hands again, "Ok ok! I don't want to know, just get back to your common rooms. Now!" James commanded. Annabel hugged James swiftly before scurrying down the corridor after Nigel.

Neither head quite knew what to make of the odd exchange. "Well that was interesting…" Lily chuckled nervously. "Yeah…"

~*~

Both heads climbed into the portrait hole exhausted. Lily smothered a yawn as she stumbled her way over to the sofa and lay down on it. James chose the big armchair in front of the fire to collapse on. "Evans?"

"Mmm," Was Lily's reply.

"Do you really have a boyfriend?" James looked over at Lily anxiously but her eyes were closed. "No. I just said that to make Nigel to away." As James closed his eyes a sleepy smile set upon his features and the last thing he felt was relief.

~*~

Lily woke up, her good mood from yesterday, disappearing after she realised they were already late. Breakfast was over and first class was about to start. She scrambled up frantically; she tripped over the leg of the table and landed painfully on her twisted arm with a cry. James shot up and leapt out of his chair. He darted over to Lily and crouched beside her, handling her arm carefully. "C'mon we need to go to the hospital wing." He said softly, trying to coax Lily off the floor.

She sat up, wincing as she jerked her wrist again. "No!" She insisted, "We're already late for class, we need to go now!" She stood up with the support of James but he didn't let her go off to her room. "Evans, you're hurt! We need to go to the hospital wing!" He said adamantly.

She shook her head roughly, "I know you don't care about school work, but I do!" She shrieked, trying to pull herself out of James' firm grip but she just managed to jar her wrist again. She hissed in pain and James stared into her defiant eyes, his jaw set angrily. "Stop being so stupid and get to the hospital wing." He tugged her gently in the direction of the portrait hole but she stood her ground.

"Oh so now I'm stupid!?" She shrieked as James crossed his arms in an infuriated fashion.

"Yeah you are when you act like this." He retorted.

Lily's eyes narrowed, "Stop acting like you know everything, you two-faced arrogant git."

James' eyes narrowed again and as he looked down on her, his glasses dangled dangerously off his nose. He shoved them up in aggravation. "Just go to the hospital wing and stop being so stuck up and god damn stubborn!"

Lily took a step closer to James, a dangerous look in her eye. "I will not be told what to do an egotistical spoilt Quidditch obsessed jerk." Lily could see James was furious but he held his tongue.

"Fine, do whatever you want." With that James swept out of the room.

Alrighty then! 

Hope you enjoyed it-sorry I couldn't resist the fight at the end. But don't fret 'cos they can't stand being mad at each other. So watch out for the next one.

Review if you will.

Question time- is anybody else like completely obsessed with Christmas songs already! Hehe I am! ;)

So brownie points for whoever can tell me the name and artist of this song…

'…you can these presents, underneath my tree

You can take this awesome scarf my grandma made for me

You can take these boxes tied up with string

'cos all I want for Christmas is the girl of my dreams…'

Lol kinda obvs. On the name but who can tell me who it is by…

Till next time xx


	17. Broken Wrist

Hey! Hope you all had a good…month?

I'm so so so so sorry this one is so late! But I do have a good excuse! ;) I just moved back into my old house and everything is a bit of a mess and we're starving 'cos we have no food but then we had another flood! Our plumber didn't put something back on properly and in the middle of the night our water main burst! Thankfully we're all ok but our house is damaged and there are boxes everywhere! Plus I've had GCSE English coursework which I've been completely freaking out about! So sorry but I'm sure you can all sympathize and forgive me…

Anyways three people guessed the song correctly! 'lookmeintheeyesnickjonas' 'HermioneGranger1971' and 'lunalovegood1263'. Congrats! Have a cyper cookie :P It was girl of my dreams by the one and only Jonas brothers.

BTW I feel the need to apologize for the awful names of my characters; I'm really bad at making up surnames! Lol

Disclaimer: everything belongs to the very talented J.. Any characters you don't recognise are mine though, like Nigel ;)

Chapter 16

James surveyed the prefect meeting with unfocused eyes; he was still annoyed and although he wouldn't admit it to anybody, worried about Lily. She was late. Something that was hardly normal for Lily, usually she was Little Miss Punctuality. James crossed his arms and slouched lower in his chair, shuffling his papers around as he watched the other prefects. The four Slytherin prefects were muttering darkly in the corner and James cast them a dubious look. His eyes moved on to a 6th year Ravenclaw named Suzanne Evergreen who was chatting with James' friend Isabelle Swansea. Isabelle felt someone's gaze on her and looked up; she smiled widely and waggled her fingers at James. James waved back and turned his attention once again to the door, willing Lily to walk through it. They waited for another couple of minutes before James heard a commotion outside. All the heads in the room swivelled towards the door as they heard the unmistakable voice of Lily Evans shouting at someone. James swiftly pushed back his chair and hastened out of the room, muttering he would be back.

James came upon Lily standing in a corridor and cradling her swollen arm while she shouted at a gaggle of girls. As James rushed up to them they all started giggling and whispering to each other behind their hands while Lily closed her mouth and glared at James. James rolled his eyes and gave them an awkward grin as he realised Lily had busted his fan club. "Uh, hey Evans. What's going on?" James questioned nervously.

"Well, your little fan club was about to crash my meeting in the hope you would sign their petition to have an official 'James Potter appreciation' day!" Lily shrieked, turning rapidly redder in the face if that was possible. James also appeared to be blushing as he raked a hand through his mob of hair, making more than one girl swoon. "And do you know what that one asked me!?" Lily screeched, jabbing her finger at a small brunette near the front of the crowd and then hissing in pain as she jerked her wrist; the total effect making her seem like a mad woman. "Did _I_ want to sign the petition!? How bloody stupid can you be, why on God's green earth would I sign a petition making _you_ have a day to yourself!?" The little girl bursting into tears seemed to have an instant calming effect on Lily and she immediately looked sorry. "Look just go please, I have a prefects meeting to run."

The girls all turned to look at James, wondering how he was going to react. He nodded in agreement and waved them off, "See you later." James called, he then groaned as his fan club started tittering again and whispering 'he's going to see us later!'

As James' fan club rounded the corner a concerned Remus appeared. "What's happening?" Remus inquired, eyeing the red James and Lily suspiciously. "Lily had a run in with my fan club." James muttered and Remus started smirking, his eyes flickering between Lily and James wondering which one he should taunt. Remus opened his mouth to tease them both when he noticed Lily's very swollen arm. "Merlin Lily what did you do to your arm!?" Remus' eyebrows shot to his hairline, "You need to go to the hospital wing straight away!"

Lily glanced over at James and was very surprised to see no triumphant smirk on his face. "But what about the prefect meeting…I ca…"

"I'll handle the prefects, we can discuss problems at the next meeting." Remus interrupted.

"Well, I guess…" James shot a grateful grin at Remus. Lily always seemed to listen to him.

"Good," Remus interrupted again, "Prongs, take Lily to the hospital wing." James nodded passively and so did Lily.

"Are you sure you can handle the meeting by yourself?" Remus waved off Lily's concern and mooched back to the meeting leisurely.

James and Lily walked through the still corridors to towards the hospital wing. "I'm sorry about my fan club." James cringed at the word and Lily paused, confused.

"You just shuddered." Lily stated in a quiet voice, making James mystified.

"Yeah…"

"I thought you loved your fan club?" Lily queried, her tone bewildered.

James stopped avoiding her gaze and looked her straight in the eye. "Well I don't. I wish they would stop following me around…I've _begged_ them to stop following me around. They just…I don't know. In these dark times, you have to treasure every memory you have. Who knows how much longer we'll be allowed to be children…and if they get some joy out of following me around…well who am I to stop them." James shrugged his shoulders and looked at Lily in an odd way. Lily's jaw had dropped open the minute James had admitted he didn't like having a fan club. She gave the impression of being perplexed and James looked totally unnerved by it. "Evans?" He waved a hand in front of her eyes and Lily's pupils dilated as she came back to reality. "

You…you love your fan club!" James remained silent and Lily became even more vexed. "You're always so nice to them and you hug them and you…"

"I'm nice to Professor Sprout, do I love her?" James rolled his eyes; it figured that Lily, like everybody else, thought he adored his fan club as much as they did him.

"But…" Lily trailed off as James began to walk down the corridor again. She sped up and held her wrist so it wouldn't be jolted. "Potter," James slowed down, allowing Lily to catch up with him. "I'm sorry, I just thought…"

"Yeah you and everyone else. I thought you of all people would know that people aren't always what they seem." James almost looked…_disappointed_.

"What's that meant to mean?"

James shook his head, "Nothing, nothing. C'mon, the hospital wing is just round the corner."

James pushed open the swinging door and held it for Lily to come through. She gave him a timid small smile of thanks. Madame Pomfrey came rushing up to them, "James Potter! What have you done this time? I swear you and young Sirius spend most of your time in here."

James grinned charmingly, "Not me this time Poppy, Miss Evans has injured her wrist." Madame Pomfrey immediately bustled over to Lily and started inspecting her wrist while James parked himself on a chair. Lily huffed quietly as Madam Pomfrey interrogated her about how she'd done it. Lily was blushing as explained her tale of woe.

"You don't have to sit there and stare at me." Lily muttered, holding her arm awkwardly. James leant against the wall and folded his arms, "I won't then." They were silent for a few more seconds before James started whistling and pacing up and down leisurely. Lily's eyes followed him from side to side, again and again and again.

"Stop it!" Lily shrieked at James, "You're making me nervous!" James shrugged and leant against the wall again. Madame Pomfrey entered again, holding a goblet full of a think, yellowy brown sludge. James grimaced as he saw it and Lily shrunk into her seat as she smelt the potion.

"Bad luck Evans, that one's disgusting." James said cheerfully, grinning as Lily sent him a sarcastic smile. Madame Pomfrey hit the back of James' head with a wad of paper as she went by, "Hush up Mr. Potter." She turned around to Lily, James still nursing his head dramatically. "Now I need you to drink the whole of that potion-James make sure she does. You may go after you've taken the medicine and your wrist should heal up in a matter of minutes." Madame Pomfrey rushed out the room leaving the two teens eyeing the concoction warily.

James lifted up the goblet Madame Pomfrey had put beside him cautiously and made his way over to Lily. He pulled up a chair alongside her and handed her the potion. She took it unhappily, swirling the mixture around the cup as if it would make it more appetizing. "Just swallow it in one go," James encouraged, "It's not as bad then."

Lily nodded and brought the potion up to her lips. The liquid travelled past her, down into her throat before her face contorted; she gagged and the potion sprayed out of her mouth, covering James in the sticky concoction. Lily's face was still screwed up when James smiled at her and produced a glass of water which she gratefully downed. James scooted next to Lily as she put her empty glass down and summoned the contents of the goblet back. Lily made a face and James chuckled softly. He placed his warm palm on Lily's face and lifted it up until her eyes were level with his. Lily felt a spark as they're eyes connected, all she could do was stare. "Here, I'll make sure you drink it." Lily just nodded as she gazed into his hazel orbs. James slid his hand down her creamy white skin until it came to rest underneath her chin. Lily gulped nervously as James slowly tilted her head back, unsure of what he was about to do. James raised the goblet to her lips antagonising slowly. The liquid touched Lily's lips and started to trickle down her throat. Lily's head thrashed forwards as she tried to spit out the potion but James kept her steady. The goblet was now empty. "Evans, swallow." James coaxed her, his deep voice calming as she wildly shook her head. James moved his hand lower down her neck and deliberately massaged her throat, willing her to swallow the potion. Lily relaxed and the gulped down the dreaded potion. James summoned another glass of water and readily held it to her lips. She took it appreciatively. When Lily had finished she let her chin drop so her eyes were once again level with James. He still had a hold of her neck but Lily was strangely reassured by the way he was stroking her neck.

"Thanks."

~*~

Remus swung his legs over the bench and strolled down the great hall to where Lily was sitting; unaware he had the attention of many female students. "Hi Lily," He said casually but the mischievous twinkle in his eye gave him away. "Hello Remus." She replied with caution. Remus' eyes flickered down to Lily's mended wrist, "I see your wrist has healed up nicely. I trust James took good care of you." It as more of a statement than a question, Lily mumbled something incoherent in reply. "Pardon Lily?" Remus teased, a rare smirk gracing his lips. "Yes he did." She muttered, the smallest blush tinting her flawless cheeks. "James was in a very good mood when he came back, _what did you two do_?" Remus said, his smirk growing as he watched Lily squirm under her friends suddenly piercing stares. "We did nothing!" She retorted indignantly, glaring at the young man who suddenly seemed to have grown into his title of a Marauder. Remus just gave her a knowing look before sauntering down the aisle and out the door, a huge grin on his face the entire time. He loved being a Marauder.

…

And there you have it! I apologize once again for the huge delay )

Ok time for another song! Hehe I love doing this:

'…do ya do ya do ya love me,

Do you need a little time

Do ya do ya want me

Oh to hold you when you cry…'

Love that song! It is totally awesome )

Anyways peace to ya all xshrimpy


	18. Tutor

Bonjourno! I apologize once again for the really long delay. I had been doing so well updating up until a couple of months ago-so I'm sorry. I meant to update this chapter before I went on holiday but it was too short but I only got back a couple of hours ago and I'm straight on the laptop-dedication ;) Of course I think forgot to upload the chapter lol

AND I ALMOST FORGOT HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS! MAY IT BE AN EVEN BETTER YEAR THAN LAST-GO 2009! Lol and I hope you all had a rocking Christmas-so tell me what did you guys all do, what prezzies did you get ect…

Ok at this point in the story, we've all realised that this is going to be a long story because evidently I am really bad at making stories short, I tend to want to do them day by day. Anyways I thought I'd take this opportunity to thank everybody: firstly I have to thank my awesome reviewers because I really would be no where without you all, especially to jesusfreak917 and HermioneGranger1971 who have been incredibly supporting and have generally just given fantastic reviews. But also to all the other people who don't fail to review every chapter-I'm truly grateful. Lastly to my best friend Lucy, who is always there with her never ending support and encouragement, not to mention her superb writing skills that have helped some chapters along. So yeah you all rock and I love you!

Disclaimer-If I was J.K Rowling I would not almost cry when I had to do English coursework. Heck I wouldn't have to do English coursework!

**Chapter 18-Tutor**

"Oh Lily I remember! That was so funny and when Marlene spilt that pumpkin juice on your top because she was drooling over that guy!" Alice sniggered; Lily and Marlene joining in. Lily took another muffin off the plate and popped a large chunk of it in her mouth. She chewed it thoughtfully, gulping it down quickly when she noticed McGonagall striding towards her. The teacher beckoned to her and Lily slipped out of the bench, ignoring her friends questioning looks. Lily followed McGonagall out of the great hall and they came to a halt in front of a portrait of a little boy playing the piano.

"Miss Evans, I've noticed that you and Mr Potter have been on slightly more friendly terms have you not." Lily gave a curt nod, already guessing where the conversation was heading. "We've decided to try and be…friends." McGonagall nodded approvingly, "That was a wise move, Lily. I was wondering whether you had thought anymore about my proposition."

There was a long pause. "If that is what you think is best for me, then I suppose I must agree." McGonagall patted Lily on the shoulder, "Wait here I shall go and get Mr Potter." She swept out of the corridor, returning moments later with James, a piece of toast half eaten toast still in his hand. "Professor?" He asked, understandably confused as to why him and Lily where standing with their transfiguration teacher in the middle of breakfast in a deserted corridor. James tried to catch Lily's eye but they remained downcast as McGonagall explained that she wanted James to be Lily's tutor. James had a distinctively dazed expression on his face, "You want _me_ to tutor Evans!?"

"James, you are my top student in transfiguration, probably one of the best Hogwarts has ever seen. Despite the fact that you slack off in my class, you are very advanced." She eyed him knowingly and James felt panic rise in his chest at the thought of her knowing he was an illegal Animagus. He quickly squashed it down with the knowledge they were incredibly careful not to get caught or to raise any suspicions. "So will you do it?" James' gaze landed on Lily, who half looked as if she wished he would say no. It flickered back to professor McGonagall who was waiting expectantly for his answer. "But I don't know how to tutor someone!" He finally protested but McGonagall smiled and waved away his concern; taking his statement to mean he would do it. "You'll be a brilliant teacher-I've seen you with those first years James, don't try and pretend you can't do it." James looked faintly embarrassed as McGonagall swept away leaving him alone with Lily.

"What did she mean when she said 'I've seen you with those first years'?" Lily asked inquisitively. "Erm nothing really." Lily shot him a disbelieving look, "I just helped a couple of first years with some spells. It was no big deal…" He trailed off and they stood in silence for a while before Lily said, "That was surprisingly nice of you Potter."

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"I'm bored!" Sirius whined, surveying the group of people sat before him doing their homework. "Its' a Saturday night we should be out partying, hooking up with girls, anything but homework." "Sirius you already have a girl." Remus pointed out, not even lifting his eyes off his paper. Sirius looked surprised, "You mean Riley? We're more of friends with benefits." He explained, swinging his legs over the sofa so he was hanging upside down. Remus frowned and so did Alice. "Are you sure she knows that Padfoot? You two seem to act more like a couple…" Sirius snorted, "Of course she knows that. I don't have girlfriends, I date." Remus didn't reply and Sirius soon got bored and so made his way out of the common room to look for someone to prank.

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Alice smiled sweetly at Shelly who was brushing her long blonde hair. "Excuse me, could you please let me into the common room." Shelly paused, her brush in mid-air as her iridescent blue eyes studied an uncomfortable Alice. "I'm sorry," She drawled, "I'm only allowed to let the head boy and girl inside." Her apologetic smile was clearly insincere as she continued to comb her hair with her fingers. "Look I really need to talk to Lily, she gave me permission to come inside and you know I'm her friend." An irritated Alice tried to persuade her. Shelly shook her head and started humming a tune, while watching Alice out of the corner of her eye. Alice folded her arms and glared at Shelly as she tried to work out how she could get inside.

Fortunately for Alice after only a few minutes her 'knight in shining armour' came. "Are you ever planning on going inside love?" Sirius teased as he came upon the frazzled 7th year. "Shelly won't let me in!" Alice whispered under her breath, still glaring at the smug portrait. "I'll get you in." Sirius answered confidently. Stepping away from Alice, he jammed his hands in his pockets and sauntered towards Shelly; his eyes smouldering and his lips curved into a smirk. "Hello beautiful." Sirius leant casually against the wall and stared up at her. "Hello Sirius Black." She giggled, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "You're looking extremely sexy today Shell, if only I had the time to stop…" He trailed off suggestively at winked at Shelly. "But I need to get into the common room to see James…" Shelly swung straight open and Alice hurried in. "See you later babe-thanks." Sirius winked again before strutting into the common room, a triumphant smirk on his face.

James appeared at the top of the stairs brandishing a letter in his hand. "Hey mate," Sirius called, making James turn towards him with a smile. "Hey Pad. Look I need to go send this letter can I use Twilight?" Sirius nodded but raised his left eyebrow. "Her wing is still recovering from where she got attacked." James explained and Sirius' mouth formed an 'o' of understanding. "Your owl got attacked…in Hogwarts?" Alice asked in surprise. James sighed, a frown crinkling his forehead, "Yeah…I couldn't understand it either, all the feathers on her right wing had been destroyed and she can't fly." "How horrible!" Alice exclaimed, "Poor bird."

"Yeah…well I'd better be going, cya later Alice…coming Pad?" James paused at the portrait hole and Sirius scampered up to him. "So who's the letter to-your secret lover?" Sirius teased snatching the letter out of James' hands and galloping down the corridor, James hot on his heels.

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Lily wandered slowly down the grassy slope, searching the grounds for her friends-or anybody familiar really. She started at unmistakeable sound of Sirius Black's laughter and looked around eagerly, her and Sirius had become quite close this year-he was fun and knew how to make Lily laugh and Lily needed a good laugh. "Shut up Padfoot!" Came the squeaky voice that Lily knew to be Peter, followed by another bark of laughter from Sirius and a chuckle, from Remus, she presumed. Lily turned in a circle, shading her eyes from the sun as she stared up into the branched of the big oak tree that grew by the edge of the lake.

She saw a leg, followed by a pale face, "Lily!" Remus' face broke into a smile and, at his exclamation, three more faces joined his-gazing down at the red head. "Flower," Sirius had a huge grin on his face and his cheeks were somewhat flushed-from laughing she assumed. "Come join us!" He extended a hand, leaning dangerously low across his branch. Lily backed up and pushed her hands in front of her, "Nu-uh! No way." Sirius lips drooped into a devastating pout and when he unleashed his eyes on her, Lily's protests started floundering. "But I can't even climb!" Lily's last feeble protest was ignored as James and Sirius extended their hands for her to take. She took a faltering step forward and grasped both of their hands, her childish, sulky expression making James' lips curve upwards. "Put your foot on that crook," James ordered and Lily obeyed. James secured his hand under Lily elbow and effortlessly lifted Lily into the tree with Sirius.

After making sure she was safely perched on thick branch they let go of her, watching with identical expressions of amusement. When Lily felt them release her, her eyes flew open in alarm, "Don't let go!" She shrieked, almost toppling to the ground in her haste to grab something. James reacted instantly, snatching her waist and hoisting her backwards across the branch. "Woah." Lily's eyes popped as she gawked down at the grass beneath her; curling her fingers around the branch and clutching it until her knuckles turned as white as her face. "You ok Evans?" James' soft voice broke through her thoughts, "Yeah," She gulped, "Don't really like heights." She chuckled weakly and James took this as confirmation that he could let go of her. He slowly withdrew his arm, watching as Lily's body grew rigid but gradually relaxed. Conversation started up again, "So what were you talking about before I arrived?" Lily inquired. Sirius flashed his teeth at her, the twinkle becoming brighter in his orbs. "Crushes I believe." Remus groaned from the branch below Lily.

They were still badgering Remus on the topic when Riley came along. She, unlike Lily, did not seem surprised to find the Marauders in the tree, however Lily was another matter. "Lils!? What are you doing in a tree?" Lily started at the sound of her friend's voice and promptly lost her balance again, this set the Marauders into peals of laughter again as James seized her waist for the countless time that evening. Even Lily snorted making Riley's eyes widen. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Riley used two branches as leverage and fluidly leapt into the tree; barely shaking Sirius' branch as she shuffled backwards into his arms. "Hey Riley!" She beamed, her cheeks unusually rosy.

"Hi baby," Sirius whispered huskily into her ear, kissing her cheek affectionately. Riley twisted and pressed her lips to his briefly before turning her attention back to Lily. "That still doesn't explain the tree-you hate heights!"

Lily giggled, "I know!"

Disbelief shined on Riley's features, "You guys are amazing!" She exclaimed, snuggling deeper into Sirius' warm arms. "We know." They answered in perfect unison, identical smirks playing on their lips.

"Guys, lets go." James winked at Sirius before swinging on the branch and launching himself of the tree along with Remus and Peter. James was noticeably more graceful, landing in a crouched position and straightening up in a fluent movement. Remus landed upright with only a slight stumble whereas Peter toppled over with the impact of hitting the solid ground. Remus shook his head in amusement, Lily could only assume this happened every time, and pulled Peter to his feet. Lily cleared her throat, "Umm how exactly am I meant to get down?" She tried to swallow the familiar sense of dread that flooded through her body as she looked at the ground. James' eyes met hers, "Jump." James called, "I'll catch you, I promise."

Lily's eyes showed her undeniable hesitance, "He'll catch you I swear." Sirius reassured, his eyes showing his complete and utter trust in his best friend. She bit her lip and shuffled forward on the branch, her fingers still clasped firmly around it. Lily's slim legs dangled off the branch that was swaying slowly in the breeze. She closed her eyes and fell.

Lily didn't have time to scream before she hit something solid-familiar. Her eyes flew opened to see James' grinning face. A sigh escaped her lips. James was holding her as effortlessly as if she weighed as much as that snitch he carried around; his hands were cupped under her bent knees and supporting her back. He was cradling her gently, as if she was a baby, his face tender as he looked down on her. James set Lily on the ground, "Thank you." She squeezed his hand, briefly, gratefully. He just smiled and followed his friends up the path.

Well there you have it!

Hope you all liked it???

Anyways let me know, or just review me to saw how completely awesome the Jonas Brothers are! Or Twilight! Speaking of which has anyone seen the film!? I did and it was so awesome, not as good as the books though but still amazing. What did you all think?? Hehe did anyone else think Jasper looked kinda creepy?  Hehe I couldn't resist calling Sirius' bird twilight-I think it's safe to say I'm obsessed…:P

Hugs and stuff,

Shrimpy xx


	19. Breakup

_Hola chicas! Que tal?? How have everybody's last days of the hol been? I'm sure you're all looking forward to going back to school as much as I am *insert sarcastic tone* ;)_

_Nothing I can think of to report…wait! I do, I've found a new couple in Harry potter to obsess over-Teddy and Victoire! They are just the cutest couple-after L&J of course. If anybody knows of any good T&V stories or writes them, please let me know 'cos I'd love to read them! _

_Btw this is a Riley and Sirius chapter. I've been wanting to write one for a while so it's mainly focused around them, although there is a cute L&J scene at the beginning. Ok this is an extremely long chapter but I'm counting on nobody minding too much? OK good enjoy then:_

_Hasta Luego ____ xx_

_Disclaimer-Nope. Sorry. Not her. _

**Chapter 19-Breakup **

For the last twenty minutes of her rounds with James, Lily had been trying to face her humiliation and ask him when they should have their first tutoring session. Lily thought her lip was permanently scarred from her gnawing it so much, it was a nervous habit that Lily had never managed to abolish.

"Enough." James halted in front of Lily, blocking her path so she couldn't escape. "What do you need to ask me?" James demanded, his tone making Lily's green orbs snap up to met his hazel ones.

"Huh? How did you know that?" Her confused voice made James' lips curve up, a feat he was doing more and more in her presence.

"Evans, I've obsessed over you for 5 years-you would think I'd know some stuff about you." His tone was light but there was a meaning behind his words. He looked almost insulted when she stared up at him, her green eyes befuddled. "When you're nervous, or you don't want to ask somebody something, you chew on your lip. You also fiddle with your prefect-well head girl now-badge, flicking the clasp open and close. You're doing both of those now." James couldn't suppress a grin when she instantly stopped.

"I never knew you paid so much attention to me." Lily muttered.

"Yeah well…" James trailed off awkwardly, rumpling his hair so it was sticking up more than usual. "The question-you still didn't tell me what your question was." James' lopsided grin lightened the atmosphere. When Lily didn't answer James resorted to teasing, "C'mon it can't be that bad…unless!" James' eyes widened behind his glasses, his face a mask of mock horror. "You've fallen deeply, madly, love with Lucius Malfoy and you got married in a broom closet with Filch as the minister and you're eloping to Africa on the back of a donkey all the while stealing Mrs. Norris! And now Filch is after you and will give you years worth of detention cleaning bird poo out of the owlery." James gasped in fake alarm and Lily struggled to keep her giggles in, "You're right, you couldn't possible tell me that and now you're going to have to kill me!" With a scream James ran off down the dark corridor leaving Lily exploding with laughter, the sound of her joyous voice echoing off the walls. She wiped a tear of mirth out of her eye and grinned as she jogged down the corridor.

"Boo!" James jumped out at her as Lily rounded the corner, making her utter a shriek. James quickly clamped his hand over her mouth, his eyes twinkling madly as he dragged her into the darkness. Lily laughed again his hand as she halfheartedly tried to push him away. "It's such a same I'm going to have to kill you, such beauty." James trailed a finger down the side of her neck, playing the part of a pirate captain convincingly, making Lily shiver. "There's always another option though." James whispered playfully into her ear. He released her and drew his wand, pointing it at her neck. "What will it be my hearty, join the dark side or die?"

Lily's eyes sparkled as she played along, "I will never join you! I would rather die than be apart of your crew!"

"Then death it is!" James paused for a moment, evidently thinking of the right spell to cast. Then at the same time a jet of water shot out from bother Lily and James' wands. They stopped almost immediately and burst into hysterical laughter.

They arrived back at the dorms in content silence, the sparkle still gleaming in both of their eyes. "Wronki Feint." James spoke loudly, trying to raise Shelly from her slumber. She didn't stir, "Wronki Feint." He and Lily all but shouted. Shelly cracked open an eyelid, her lips drawn into a grumpy pout, "Come back later, I'm sleeping." She closed her eyes again and snuggled deeper into the crook of her arms. "Shelly, let us in!" James commanded, the authority in his tone was not missed by Shelly who sighed and swung open.

"Well goodnight Potter." Lily said cheerily as she walked up the staircase to her room.

"Hold on!" James called after her and she paused turning around. He flashed her a cheeky grin, "You never did ask me your question."

James waited patiently while Lily blushed again, "When can you do out first tutor session?" James' stared at her in shock for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"You really are something Lily Evans…" He shook his head smiling, "That is what you were worried about asking me?" He confirmed and Lily nodded, biting down on her lip. James chuckled again and shook his head, Lily managed a smile.

James followed her up the stairs and disappeared into the bathroom after saying goodnight. Lily walked to her room only to retrace her steps moments after. "Potter," She called through the door, "I had fun today-in the tree and on patrol." She confessed, biting her lip, lingering around the door for his reply.

"Me too." He said, his voice muffled by the sound of running water.

Lily dithered on the stop, the smile refusing to leave her face. "I'm…I'm glad we're friends Potter…You're not such a bad guy after all." Lily admitted. She then ran lightly back to her room without waiting for a response, her face bright red.

"Thanks." James croaked, grinning so hard he thought his face would split.

James felt as if his head had only just hit the pillow when he heard his name being called urgently. He groaned and fumbled around for his glasses before snatching the two way mirror off the floor. "What is it Padfoot?" James yawned, looking into the conflicted eyes of his best friend.

"It's Riley…I, she saw me kissing another girl and I think she's upset. She ran off pretty quickly…can you come over, I just need to talk to you."

James was already pulling some trousers over his boxers, "I'm on my way." James ran out of the room and jumped down the stairs prior to doubling back. He crossed the landing and knocked lightly on Lily's door-he happened to know she was a light sleeper. "Come in," She murmured as she pushed back the covers.

James entered the dark room and flicked on the light switch. Lily blinked a couple of times and glanced at the glowing numbers on her clock, her eyebrows shooting up. "There's been some trouble with Riley and Sirius, nothing bad," He reassured her, "But I gather she's pretty upset. I figured you might want to talk to her…"

Lily processed the information quickly and threw back the covers, "Of course, thank you."

"I'll wait for you downstairs." And James left the room.

Lily appeared a couple of minutes later, looking more awake than James. They dashed out of their common room and made their way swiftly to the Gryffindor common room, not even pausing to stop a couple kissing in a corner-although James did take off points as they speed walked away. They entered the familiar room and parted with smiles.

The door the James' old dorm flew open before he knocked. He smiled at Remus and made his way over to Sirius who was lying facing the wall. He rolled over when James sat on his bed, "Hey mate." James leaned over and gave Sirius a man hug when he saw Sirius' pained expression. "What happened Pad?"

Lily walked into her old dorm and was immediately aware of the stillness in the dorm. Marlene and Alice were whispering in the corner on Alice's bed and they beckoned her over. She glanced at Riley who was huddled in a ball, rocking herself gently while staring at the wall and made her way over. "What's wrong?" Lily said softly as she sat on the edge of the bed.

It was Alice who tore her eyes away from Riley's body and locked concerned eyes with Lily. "We're not exactly sure; we were in the common room doing our homework and Riley came flying past us crying. So we followed her upstairs and she was sobbing on her bed. She wouldn't talk to us." Alice shrugged, looking distressed.

"She cried for about half and hour and then she just stopped." Marlene carried on, "Then she became that. She's just sitting there and her eyes are all _hollow_. We tried talking to her again and she said something about Sirius kissing another girl and," Marlene lowered her voice even more so it was only a wisp of a whisper, "She said she _loves_ him!" Lily looked completely shell shocked.

She took a minute to compose herself and then walked over to Riley's bed, Alice and Marlene following. Riley rolled over as they sat down and gave them a half smile. She lifted her tear-stained face, the tears having dried on her skin making rivers running down her face. When she looked into Lily's eyes, Lily was shocked-she did look hollow. "What happened Riley?"

"It's so stupid." She muttered, "I tried to kid myself that he loved me," She sighed and shook her head. Trying to explain what she was feeling to her perplexed friends, "I saw Sirius making out with another girl."

"Oh Riley," Lily exclaimed in pity, tucking a sodden curl behind Riley's ear.

"It's my fault. I set myself up for disappointment," Riley sniffed, rubbing at her red eyes, "I knew I wasn't actually Sirius' girlfriend and that he was allowed to do what ever he wanted with anyone else…I was just there to help him. I just…I didn't count on falling in love with him." Riley voice cracked and a tear trickled down her face.

"You love Sirius?" Lily confirmed, trying to hide her surprise, Riley didn't answer but another tear seeped out of her eyelashes. Lily exchanged worried looks with Alice and Marlene, sure their anguished expressions were reflections of hers'.

"It's just when I saw him and Kithara kissing, it hurt. It felt…felt like someone stabbed me," She wept, burying her head in her wet pillow.

"Ssshh." Lily soothed. If this is what love does to you then I'm not sure I want to be in love, Lily thought with a sigh.

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James woke early the next morning, his head a confused maze. He sat up and groaned loudly when his head started throbbing. That was right, they'd snuck down to the Quidditch stands and the Marauders had had a firewhiskey party. And now James was hung over. James recalled the reason for the firewhiskey party; Riley. Sirius was still upset over her being upset. James glanced over at his best friend who was still asleep; Sirius was spread across the bed diagonally, his crumpled clothes from last night still on, his hair a mess and purple bruises under his eyes showed his lack of sleep. James eyed him worriedly before scribbling a quick note to Sirius and vanishing to the bathroom.

James was reading a book, lounging in the chair by the fireplace. He was waiting for either Lily, Alice Marlene or Riley herself to come down and bring him some news on how she was doing. He didn't have to wait long, about ten minutes later Marlene wandered down the stairs looking as if she had had a bit of a rough night. "Mare!" James jumped up and practically ambushed Marlene as she tried to get out of the portrait hole. "Oh hey James." She sounded exhausted James noted sympathetically.

"How's Riley?" James asked, raking a hand through his damp hair.

Marlene shrugged, "I'm not sure, she was pretty upset last night and Lily took her to her room this morning so she wouldn't run into Sirius."

James mulled over this information, "'K thanks Mare. Talk to you later."

"James!" Riley exclaimed, leaping off the sofa and throwing herself into his arms. She embraced him tightly and he stroked her hair, murmuring soothing words into her ear. When he realized she was shaking he pulled away, "Hey now, don't cry!" James let her over to the sofa and pulled Riley onto his lap. "Now do you want to tell me what's going on," James asked, concerned. "Sirius has been worried sick." Riley avoided eye contact; trying to work out how that piece of information made her feel.

"Yesterday, I saw Sirius kissing another girl," She mumbled, "And it wasn't until that made me feel as if…as if he'd plunged a knife into my heart that I realized. I'm in love with Sirius Black." She buried her head in James shirt, sucking in the familiar, comforting scent.

James sighed, "I'm not really surprised Riles-I've seen the way you look at him."

"And now I've messed it up, I can't be with him anymore." She cried. "I didn't mean to let him see that he hurt me…I didn't want him to know I loved him!" Lily sat down quietly on the sofa next to her and handed Riley a cup of tea, smiling softly at James.

"I'm sorry Riles, I wish I could do something to help…but it's up to you and Sirius now. You do what you think is best." He kissed her forehead tenderly and untangled himself when he was sure her tears had stopped. "Now where's that pretty smile gone, huh." James tickled her chin trying to coax a smile out of her. Of course Riley trying not to smile produced a grin and a giggle. "There we are. Now I need to go change my shirt and let's try not to ruin this one love." He flashed her a cheeky grin and bounded up the stairs leaving Riley shaking her head and smiling on the couch.

When James returned Lily and Riley were chatting happily about a potions assignment. "I don't want to be a downer but it's breakfast now and Sirius will be there." Riley's expression immediately clouded over and she started to frown. "Could you…could you tell him to meet me after classes? I'll be under…"

James interrupted with a mischievous grin, "It's ok Sirius will know where to find you." He winked and sauntered out of the common room.

As they walked into the great hall, Sirius' anxious eyes landed on them and he made to stand up. James shot him a warning look and bid goodbye to Lily and Riley.

"Is she ok? What did she say? Is she mad at me?" Sirius fired questions at James as soon as he sat down.

"She wants to speak to you after class." James mumbled through his croissant. Sirius relaxed slightly, but a frown still wrinkled his forehead and throughout breakfast he couldn't keep his eyes off Riley.

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"Padfoot! Wake up!" James hissed as he nudged Sirius sharply in the ribs. He didn't stir. They were in history of magic, the last class of the day and Sirius had slept through it all. It was probably a good thing, James thought, so Sirius wouldn't be worried about what Riley was going to say. James had an inkling and he wasn't sure how well Sirius would take it. James preformed a non-verbal spell and a stream of water shot out of his wand and hit Sirius in the face. "Ahhh!" Sirius woke up with a shudder and glared at James. He then became conscious that the whole class was staring at him, including Riley. Professor Binns was looking angry, well as angry as a ghost can look, and was waiting for an explanation. "I meant 'ahh' I understand why the goblins wanted revenge!" Sirius flashed him a winning smile and counted himself lucky that the teacher liked him, either that or he was too stupid to realize Sirius was lying. Sirius slumped back onto the desk as soon as he turned away and the next time he opened his eyes the bell had rung and everyone was filing out. He saw Riley leave and started to follow but James blocked his path. "Go get changed first, give her a little time." Sirius nodded and gave her one last look as she disappeared out of sight, his stomach knotting.

Sirius walked slowly down the path, his stormy gaze focused on the only other person out on the grounds. He dug his hands deeper into his pockets, regretting bringing a coat like Remus had suggested. "Hey." He said softly, coming to a halt at the tree Riley was leaning against. Her head whipped around and she stood up, grabbing the offered hand to help pull her up. She immediately dropped it as soon as she was upright and Sirius shoved it back into his pocket. "Hi."

"Look Riley I'm really sorry I ki…" Sirius began sincerely, his eyes panicky, but Riley put up a hand to stop him and he looked at her confused.

"There is no problem with you kissing other girls, I mean it's not like we're exclusive." She gave him a small smile and took a deep breath, steadying her voice. "I just thing it would be better if we stopped 'dating'. I mean you don't need me anymore, you have Kithara or any other girl you want to be your snog buddy." Riley tried to keep her emoticons in check but ended up have to look at the ground.

"But Riley i…"

"It's ok Sirius. I was only here because you're my friend and you needed some comfort but now you're fine I see no reason for us to carry on like this. I think we're better off as friends." Riley was lying through her teeth but as long as Sirius bought it it was ok. She chanced a look at him and he was staring down at her, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Bbut you were upset when you found us kissing!" Sirius pointed out, his eyes conflicted and Riley took fleeting moment to come up with a reason for it.

"You misread my expression-I was surprised. I didn't want to intrude which is why I ran off." She added for good measure, hoping her eyes wouldn't betray her.

"If you want to be just friends, then ok." Sirius said finally after a long time of studying at Riley.

Riley nodded hesitantly, "Ok then…I'll see you later." She spun round and walked down the path speedily, trying to stem the flow of tears, as she worked on not sprinting away.

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"Why is Padfoot not back yet?" Remus asked, his face concerned. He checked the map; Sirius was sitting down by the lake, not moving. "He's down by the lake." Remus' eyebrows knitted together.

"I'll go get him." James said, wrapping a scarf around his neck as he crossed the room and walked out the door.

"Hey Prongs." Sirius said as James approached him and slid down onto the wet ground.

"What did Riley say?" James asked, watching his friend's face carefully.

"We broke-up." Sirius said shortly, his face betraying nothing but James knew better. As Sirius stood, James patted him on the shoulder, "I'm sorry Pad."

_Well there we had it; my exceedingly long chapter! I don't actually like this chapter, the R&S scenes didn't really go as planned so if you feel the need to criticize, criticize but put a smily on the end ____ lol_

_I think that deserved a review just because of the sheer length of it don't you!? 3,384 words people ;)_

_Bueno noche xx_

_He then _


	20. Sorry

_Bonjourno! Hiiiiii! ___

_By the way, I don't know if you'd noticed but my friend told me that my character 'Isabella Swansea' has almost the exact name as Bella swan. I didn't even realise that! I guess i'm so twilight obsessed that my conscience names characters after them lol. Anyways it was not intentional. Enjoy:_

_Disclaimer-I own Edward Cullen as well ;)_

_This chapter is dedicated to 'you're just as sane as I am' for her continuously awesome reviews and because my chapters make her happy, which is consequence, make me happy ____ Thanks!_

I'm sorry

The Gryffindor, 7th year girls' dorm was mayhem. It was a Hogsmeade weekend and the dorm was a flurry of activity. Alice was, as usual, getting ready for her date with Frank. Not that it really mattered what she wore, but still. Marlene also had a date and was currently upturning the room as she searched for her other black boot. Evidently, she could not go on that date if she didn't have said boot, Lily found out when she innocently suggested wearing different shoes. Lily was attempting to start on her Transfiguration essay while trying to avoid the countless items that were hurled in her direction. After almost being knocked out by a flying trunk, Lily gave up. "I'm going back to my dorm." Lily shouted in the general direction of Alice as she scurried out the door, her text book protecting her head from discarded items.

She wandered down the stairs, contemplating what to do today. The castle would be quiet, which would be a relief, maybe she could get some extra studying in. Lily reached the common room she shared with James and ambled through the porthole slowly. James was yelling into a mirror when Lily walked in but he quickly stashed it in his back pocket when he noticed her.

"Hi." He smiled easily, briefly scanning her appearance. She dumped the books on the table and flopped down onto the sofa, "Do you really find your appearance so hideous that you feel the need to shout at it?" Lily teased, laughing out loud as James pulled a gruesome face.

James grinned his face returning to usual, "We can't all be as beautiful as you Miss Evans." Lily's laughter faded away and she looked uncomfortable, avoiding James' gaze. James pretended as if nothing had happened though, "We'd better get moving, before they go to Hogsmeade without us." James stood up-stretching-but Lily remained curled up on the sofa. "Oh, I'm not going to Hogsmeade." She replied, picking up her blank Transfiguration essay and a quill. James brushed off her comment immediately, "You have to come! Why don't you hang out with me and the Marauders? Sirius will love that-Remus too." James persuaded eagerly, his eyes twinkling. Lily bit her lip, trying to decide between a quiet day in her dorm or what was sure to be an entertaining, energetic day with the Marauders. "I'll buy you some sugar quills." The lure was now too great. Lily uncrossed her legs and rose, "Only because they're my favourite." She informed him, a grin creeping onto her face.

The Marauders plus Lily walked down to Hogsmeade instead of taking the carriages. James and Sirius were way ahead, planning what they were going to do that day-every now and again peals of laughter would pierce the cold air. Lily, unable to keep up with their long legs and fast chatter, walked behind them with Remus and Peter. Remus and Lily were debating over a book and Peter decided the conversation was getting too technical for him when he discovered he couldn't even say the book title. He drove his hand deeper into his pockets and broke into a run in an attempt to catch up with his friends. No luck. He slowed to a walk and examined the familiar path. The shrieking shack on his left, the frost covered shops just coming into view on his right. He saw the decipherable face of the one of the only girls who would even talk to him and waved enthusiastically, "Riley! Hey Riley! C'mere."

James and Sirius halt immediately as they heard Peter call to her-waiting to see if she would come. Things between her and Sirius were…tense to say the least. It was quite awkward for all of them, especially since Lily had been hanging out with them more and more. Sirius watched Riley intensely as she shrugged and crossed the street, a smile slipping into place as she muttered hello to everybody, carefully avoiding Sirius' gaze. Sirius turned back around and continued his conversation with James as if Riley hadn't joined them. She lagged behind with Peter, waiting for Lily and Remus to catch up.

"Hey, Riles." Remus grinned, turning away from Lily to look at Riley. Riley had faint bags under her eyes and had an air about her that depressed even Remus' bright mood. Remus frowned, glancing at Sirius who was chatting loudly. Too loudly. Lily had linked arms with Riley and was talking quietly with her.

"Can…you…wait…please?!" Peter huffed, trying to keep up with Remus. Remus slowed slightly and waited for his plump friend to catch up.

"Now, she was the prettiest girl and her legs…" Sirius exclaimed loudly, noticing Riley watching him. Riley's eyes narrowed and she ripped her arm out of Lily's and swung Sirius around, "You fucking bastard!" She swore at him, and slapped him hard. He clutched his cheek in horror and disbelief, watching as Riley sprinted away, back towards the castle.

"Aww, Pads, you knew you shouldn't have said that." James swung an arm around his best friend, "You knew it would wind her up." Remus joined Sirius on the other side and Peter scrambled up to James' side. The Marauders waved a hand at the others, "Sorry, just a small crisis." Lily frowned as she caught a harsh whisper, "We need to talk, Sirius. Now." Sirius nodded and shrugged off James' arm and confused gaze.

Lily pulled Sirius off to the side, under the cover of the trees and whirled round to face him. Her face was taut and angry but Sirius held up a hand before she had time to speak. "I know I shouldn't have done that Lils, spare me the lecture." Sirius exhaled slowly, raking a hand through his shaggy mane.

"She just...she makes me say stupid things." Sirius tried to elucidate, pleading with Lily to see his point of view. "And i don't understand her! I mean one minute we're friends and then she punched me! I mean i know i was hitting below the belt but slapping me was a bit melodramatic." Sirius looked to Lily for explanation, but Lily looked shifty as she avoided looking at him. "What?" He asked cautiously, his gaze clouding over with worry.

"It's not really my place to say Sirius," Lily said hesitantly, "But i think you should apologize-find some way of making it up to her-you were still a prat for saying that." She allowed him a small smile. "Well i'd better go find Riley." She patted Sirius on the back, "You'll figure something out." She whispered into his ear as she ran off into the street, leaving behind a very thoughtful Gryffindor.

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"Cheer up mate." James said, watching as Sirius downed his 5th firewhiskey. Miraculously it hadn't seemed to affect him yet apart from his random bursts of laughter every twenty or so minutes. But James knew from experience it wasn't a good idea to be drunk while endeavouring to get someone to forgive you-especially a girl.

"I dunno what you're talking 'bout prongs, i'm fine." He responded, glancing at James from over his mug. James rolled his eyes, "You just refused to make out with that Grace Hatton. She was practically ripping her clothes off in front of you." James pointed out; Sirius shrugged, not bothering to deny it. "Riles will forgive you Padfoot." James assured him.

"Yeah i know that mate." Sirius smiled, and dropped his mug with a 'thunk' onto the table. "Let's get out of here-were are moony and wormtail?"

"Bookstore probably. But have you seen the new Speedbomb 900..."

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Riley looked up as she saw James' bird tapping at her window. He was probably just checking up on her, she thought with a small smile. Riley uncrossed her legs and leaned over to the window, undoing the catch and letting it swing open. James' bird flew in with a hoot and landed on the bedside table. He held out his leg and Riley gently pulled the piece of parchment out. She noticed a box of her favourite honeydukes chocolate hanging from his leg. She untied them and put them on her bed for later. Riley un-scrolled the parchment.

_I'm sorry._

The words were written in a curvy slant that she instantly recognised. But it wasn't James'.

Sirius.

Riley pushed the parchment away from her and fell backwards onto her bed, covering her face with her hands. She'd thought they could go back to being friends, or something resembling that, but it obviously wasn't working for them. He'd said those things earlier because he knew they would hurt her, but now he was sorry. Riley snatched up the parchment again; searching for some hidden meaning behind those two words. She found none. Riley pulled out a blank piece of parchment from her bag and scribbled something on it quickly. Handing it to James' bird who took it in his beak and soared out the open window.

A piece of parchment fluttered into Sirius' hands.

_I forgive you. Friends? _

_Of Course._

_Hi dudes! As always thanks for reading. I know this one is way shorter than usual and quite late but i have so much to do this weekend. I have English coursework which i haven't started and am almost freaking out about. And Monday is going to be the worst day ever! I have injections that day, which i completely freak out about, 3 exams, one of which is mega important and a dentist appointment! Nothing to look forward to ____ but if you review it would make my day slightly better lol. I would just like to also mention I have another L&J one-shot coming out called promises. It would be really great if you checked it out ___

_Love you guys,_

_xshrimpyx_


	21. Oh Brother

_Hiya! How's everyone doing?? ___

_Btw i feel the need to say that i have survived one of the worst (school) days of the year! I had an injection and three exams! I mean how unfair, not to mention i have like the biggest needle phobia in the world because of when i was a baby. The later came and held my hand though lol while i had the injection and they gave us lolly pops afterwards, which i couldn't eat because i've just got braces! ____ But yeah i survived that day although the injections made me ill. Boohoo. Lol, anyways on with the story._

_Disclaimer: Beautiful, check. Millionair, check. Humungous fan base, check. Talented best selling author, check. Harry Potter books, oh damn i think my dog ate them! (FYI he totally would ;))_

_BTW i'm sorry i keep on putting a lot of Sirius and Riley in, they're just such a cute couple i can't resist. But it will be back to Lily and James soon, promise. Forgot to mention there is a surprise guest in this one ;) someone Sirius isn't too fond of. _

_Anyways i've lost count of the chapter we're on, 21 maybe? Well here it is:_

**Oh Brother**

Everyone looked up as a tawny owl crashed into the jug of milk, sending it smashing into the table, spraying everywhere. Sirius leant over to reach the bird, untying the letter swiftly and brandishing it with glee. "Ooh it's from mum and dad!" Sirius exclaimed happily, his eyes brightening as he tore open the envelope. He looked up to find Lily staring at him with an air of perplexity. James noticed as well and laughed, "He means _my_ mum and dad."

"Oh. Are they close?" She inquired, watching Sirius who was reading the letter slowly, a delighted smile creeping onto his face.

"Mum and Dad adore him. They love him as if he's their own blood. And he loves them back...They always introduce us at their two sons." James smiled softly, "Its funny watching people trying to work out how we're related when Sirius looks the way he does."

"You mean because i'm so incomparably handsome and you're well...not." Sirius tore his eyes away from the letter to grin at them. He flipped his hair in a distinctively girly way and laughed as James punched his shoulder good-naturedly.

"So what does it say Padfoot?" James asked.

"Mmmm mum's just talking about this new cleaning thing she got. It's called a _dishwasher." _Lily snorted loudly as Sirius' eyes widened in disbelief. "She says that it cleans the dishes without you having to do anything! You just have to push a button! No magic! How is that even possible." James and Sirius were both ogling the letter with wide eyes.

Remus rolled his eyes and shot an amused glance at Lily who was giggling into her hand. "It's a muggle contraption, you would have heard about it if paid any attention in Muggle Studies instead of making paper airplanes."

James' and Sirius' eyes swung to Lily in a synchronised motion. She was starting to think they were related. "Is it true?" James demanded, "Does it really work without magic!?"

"Of course. Nearly every 'muggle' has one."

Sirius let out a shout of joy, causing Peter to spill his orange juice all over Alice's lap in surprise. He slapped hands with James, both wearing gleeful expressions. "Now we don't have to clean the dishes!" Sirius grinned widely at Lily who was looking extremely taken aback.

"You," She gestured to him and James, "Have to do dishes?" She questioned in astonishment, her eyebrows almost disappearing up her hairline.

"Of course." Sirius shrugged as if it was obvious, "We both have chores to do when we're at home. Don't you?"

"Well yeah but i would have thought..." She trailed off embarrassed.

"That because Jamesie is a spoilt little rich kid, he wouldn't have to do chores?" Sirius smirked as she blushed a little.

"I wouldn't have picked those words." She muttered, her cheeks turning a darker shade of red.

James grinned, not looking mad which was a relief to Lily. "Nah, mum knows how to bring us up right, she never let me or Sirius slack off...Well she never lets me."

Sirius smirked at James and pretended to whisper inconspicuously behind his hand, "Mum likes me best." He winked and James ruffled his hair in a very brotherly like fashion.

~*~

Riley walked slowly down the empty corridor, shivering slightly from the chill coming through the open window. She tugged at her hair bobble, letting her curls tumble out of their confinement. She raked a hand through them, trying to smooth out the knots. She exhaled noisily, picturing Sirius in her mind.

And suddenly, there he was. Leaning against the stone wall opposite her; arms folded, legs crossed. Her feet carried her forward, she glided to a stop right in front of him. Riley let her eyes flicker up so she could look into his face.

It wasn't Sirius.

How could she make the mistake? This Sirius was not as good looking as hers. He was shorter, his face looked younger, more...innocent. He features were chiselled but he didn't have the rugged sexy look Sirius had. His hair was less shiny and shorter. His eyes. His eyes were exactly the same shade of grey as Sirius'. They held the same glazed facade as Sirius' often did, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. It was uncanny. The features were so familiar but so different at the same time. He was extremely beautiful but her heart didn't flip over. Her heart started pounding quickly, too quickly, but it wasn't because she loved him. Of this she was sure.

"Hello Riley." He smiled; a cold, hard smile.

"Regulus." She acknowledged, dropping her eyes from his and trying to edge past him. His arm shot out, preventing her from moving.

"Don't go, stay awhile." He purred, pulling her closer to him. Riley shivered, as his ice cold skin stroked hers. She snatched her hand away and he barked a laugh.

"Always so shy Riles." His eyes glittered and he took Riley's face in his free hand, the other one snaked around her waist.

"Don't call me that!" She hissed, shoving away from his chest in a desperate attempt to get free of him. Her struggled were useless.

"Now be good Riles, i wouldn't want to use force." His eyes darted to his pocket where his wand was poking out. They flickered back to her face, which showed momentary panic. His lips curved upwards as she stopped struggling. "Now that's more like it."

"What do you want!?" Riley spat, trying to create space between her and Regulus' bodies, to no avail.

"I just want to chat. Old friends do that you know." He said, a smile stretching across his lips. His eyes looked sincere and Riley thought she saw a flicker of the old him across his face.

"I stopped being friends with you the second you decided to become like your murderous family!" She hissed. The smile instantly dropped off Regulus' face and a dangerous look replaced it. He spun her around so she was pinned against the cold wall by his body.

"STUPEFY!" Sirius yelled, as he sprinted forward, seizing Riley out of Regulus' cold embrace as he crumpled to the floor. He pushed Riley out of the way and advanced on Regulus who had just stumbled to his feet, wand drawn. "Hello Sirus."

"Hello Reg." Regulus' fist tightened on his wand at the use of his old nickname. Regulus fired a curse that Sirius appeared to dodge almost lazily. "You'll have to do better than that brother."

"You're not my brother!" Regulus screamed, throwing curses in a blind fury. Sirius did the same and soon they were locked in fierce combat.

Regulus with a dangerous glint muttered a curse. It slashed Sirius' cheek and blood started pouring out of it. The scene froze. Regulus stiffened, staring at his 'brother's' face as the blood flowed onto his shirt, while Sirius wordlessly brought his hand up to his cheek. Riley darted forward with a cry, "Are you alright? Sirius talk to me!?" She begged frenzied.

Regulus snatched his wand which had clattered to the floor and backed away from the scene, a horrified look in his eyes. Sirius watched until the blackness swallowed him.

His eyes snapped back to Riley and he grabbed her roughly, patting her down. "Did he hurt you?!" Sirius growled, looking for any visible signs of damage. Riley shook her head mutely and Sirius let go of her. "Let's go." He muttered, staggering down the corridor, refusing Riley offer of help.

~*~

Lily pulled a chair up and sat down next to James. He laughed at her expression. "You look like you're about to be sentenced to death."

"I am." She muttered dramatically, spreading out her Transfiguration books on the desk.

"I'm just tutoring you. You don't even have to tell anybody else if it means that much to you." Lily looked at him with hopeful eyes. "You won't tell anyone."

"Not if you don't want me too." He replied, flipping to a page in the book.

"Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"Do i have to have a motive?" Lily just looked at him and he sighed. "I know how much it means to you. I mean its nothing to be ashamed of but if you really don't want people to know, i won't tell them."

She smiled softly, "Thanks Potter."

James was in the middle of demonstrating turning objects into animals when the porthole swung open and in climbed Riley and Sirius. Sirius was still dripping blood everywhere and James and Lily rushed over to them. Lily immediately mumbled a spell and watched, satisfied, as the gash in Sirius' face healed over. With another swish of her wand the blood had evaporated as well. "Thanks Lil." Sirius said, flopping face first onto their sofa.

"What happened Riles?" James asked in a concerned voice.

Riley stared intently at a patch of the floor. "I ran into Regulus." James and Sirius' bodies instantly stiffened at the name.

"What did he do to you?" James almost growled, his eyes narrowing. Lily put a hesitant hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. Riley shot her a grateful look as James relaxed slightly under her touch.

"What did he do Riley?" Lily asked again, softly.

"Nothing much, just some crap about wanting to chat." She chanced a glance at Sirius whose body had not relaxed. "Then Sirius came and they started to duel. He got lucky i suppose."

Sirius raised his head, "You left out the fact he had you pinned to the wall. It looked like he was trying to kiss you." Sirius hissed angrily.

Lily's eyebrows shot up again; Riley mouthed 'i tell you later' with a nod towards Sirius. "He didn't kiss you did he?" James asked cautiously.

"No." Riley murmured after a minute. "I think i'm gonna head back to the common room, i have my DADA homework due tomorrow."

"I'll walk you back." Sirius offered, getting off the sofa and waving goodbye to Lily and James.

They walked back to the common room mostly in silence. Riley stopped him after five minutes of quiet. Sirius leant back against the wall, surveying her emotionlessly, in an almost identical way to Regulus had. A shiver went down her spine. "Are you ok? After what happened with Regulus?"

She sighed as Sirius' body became rigid again. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't i be?" He asked in a quiet voice, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Because you're brother attacked you." She said bluntly, watching him flinch at the word brother. He raised his gaze to meet hers but his was blank. "I don't have a brother." She sighed again and started walking but this time Sirius stopped her. "Did he...did he really not kiss you?"

"No, he didn't." She murmured. Sirius placed his hand on her cheek and drew her closer.

"What did he do?" He asked gently.

Riley shook her head. "Nothing." She lied. "He just wanted to talk."

"What about?" Sirius pursued, scrutinising her face.

"Look it doesn't matter. Can we drop it?" Sirius nodded in defeat and they continued on their way.

Sirius paused outside the portrait hole. "Aren't you coming in?" Riley questioned him.

"Nah. I think i'll go back to the lovebirds." He teased, talking about Lily and James. Riley gave him a small smile, "Ok goodnight."

She turned to go but Sirius spun her back round. She was met with his soft lips. Sirius cupped her face and kissed her gently, pulling away all too quickly.

"I'm sorry." He said as he saw regret in Riley's eyes. "Goodnight." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and strode down the corridor with one last look at Riley.

_Well there we have it! Hope it was up to standards ;)_

_I know there was a lot of talking but i hope it was ok...??_

_Shrimpy xx_


	22. A Sirius day

'**ello :) how's everyone doing? The weekend at last, yay! Ok so firstly I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed and added my one-shot promises as a favourite story, it really meant a lot! You guys are awesome...but you would be even awesomer if you checked out my newest one-shot called understanding Snape. It was originally meant to this fic, but it didn't work so I was like I'll make it a one-shot. Yeah anyways I'd love for you to read it...**

**Secondly I know I've skipped a bit of time but if I kept doing this day by day I would have over 365 chapters :) **

**So it's coming up to Christmas and I haven't decided what's going to happen but there's sure to be a riley/Sirius chapter soon..:)**

**P.s Sorry we don't serve pie**

**Disclaimer-J.K Rowling takes GCSE's? As if.**

_**A Sirius day**_

Lily stepped out of the steaming hot shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She glanced up and uttered a scream.

James barged through the open door to find Lily, only in a short pink towel, and Sirius in a pair of jeans, ogling at each other. Sirius' facial expression was appreciative-something that made James dearly want to hit his best friend. Lily's was, well it was a mixture between astonishment, embarrassment and rage. This ought to be good, James thought.

Both Sirius' and Lily's gazes snapped to James as he almost broke down the door in his haste to get inside. "Hey." He muttered, darting nervous looks at Lily who looked like she was about to explode. He gulped and tried to rip his gaze away from the bottom of Lily's towel which was way above her knees. She noticed his stare and tugged at it ferociously.

"Sirius, what are you doing in my bathroom?" Lily all but shrieked; her tone clipped. Her face was rapidly turning red with anger.

Sirius grinned, sweeping his bangs away from his face. "Well your bathroom's a lot nicer than mine." He picked up his toothbrush, which lay next to Lily and James', and popped it into his mouth before scrubbing at his pearly whites.

Lily took a step closer and yanked the toothbrush out of his mouth. "Get out of my bathroom Sirius."

"Oh c'mon, you're not seriously gonna kick me out are you?" His lips drew into a pout, and his eyes implored with her, his long eyelashes brushing his cheekbones as he batted his widened pleading eyes at her.

Lily's annoyance wavered and she glanced at James who was still staring at her. She folded her arms tightly across her chest, "Sirius get out." She pointed to the door when he stood stunned in the same position.

Sirius turned to James waiting for his best friend to protest for him. James slowly grinned and shrugged his shoulders at Sirius, "Sorry Pads, not up to me."

Sirius plucked his toothbrush out of Lily's hand and stalked out of the room, James and Lily following him. "You're mean." Sirius pouted over his shoulder at Lily who rolled her eyes.

"How did you get in here anyway? Shelly isn't meant to let anyone in without confirmation from us." Lily asked as Sirius stalked towards the door.

Sirius and James stopped to stare at her. Sirius smirked in an amused manner, "So naive my little Lilykins, _I'm_ Sirius Black. I can do anything." With that he turned on his heel and swept out the room, leaving a bewildered head girl in his wake.

"What the hell does that mean?" Lily yelled after him.

~*~

Lily and James walked out of Dumbledore's office in a comfortable silence. Lily's mind was already whirling, a dreamy smile playing on her lips as they mooched down the halls. James studied Lily, wishing, as usual, to know her thoughts. He let his mind wander back to this morning, to when Lily had found Sirius in their bathroom. An irrepressible shiver went down this spine and he bit his lip, trying to eradicate the memory of her in a very short towel from his mind-it was sure to land him in trouble.

"I'm heading to the library. Are you coming?" James inquired, glancing at the musing red head beside him.

Their gazes clashed and her lips pulled into a smile, "James Potter in the library! Who would have guessed..." She teased playfully, bumping him with her hip.

He groaned, "I have a ten inch essay due on influential charms...I don't know any influential charms!" He threw his hands in the air to prove his point before settling them in his hair.

"I don't know, you have some pretty influential charms yourself." She giggled at him, a barely noticeable blush arousing.

His jaw went slack and he eyed her suspiciously, "Are you _flirting_ with me?" He asked, his expression becoming jubilant.

She sharply shook her head, embarrassed, "Of course not. I was joking." She rolled her eyes and turned her head so he couldn't see the blush that was spreading across her cheeks.

He let out a burst of amazed laughter, "Lily Evans _was_ flirting with me! Wait till I tell everyone!" James had a huge grin plastered to his face as he took off down the corridor, Lily shouting bloody murder after him.

"This is called blackmail," Lily accused James, who was still grinning insanely, as they walked through the doors of the library. The musky smell hitting them straight in the faces; James wrinkled his nose in disgust while Lily took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the familiar smell. "No love, it's called being clever." Lily huffed but followed him to a desk and took out her essay. James reached for it but she held it just out of his range.

"Let's co-promise. I won't let you copy my essay but I'll help you, in return for you shutting up about me flirting with you, which I totally did not." She waved the essay around tantalizingly.

"Deal." James grinned and pumped her hand up and down enthusiastically until she pulled it out of his grip.

~*~

Sirius quickly shoved Peter behind the tapestry and into the secret passageway, pulling the tapestry shut behind him. "Padfoot?" Peter asked nervously.

"Shut up Wormtail, I'm trying to spy on Riley and Amos!" He whispered insensitively, shuffling in the confined space to get a better view of Riley.

Peter gulped, "You remember what happened last time you spied on Riley with a boy?" He reminded him.

Sirius' narrowed eyes swung to land on Peter, who looked like a rabbit caught in the headlight, "Well she's not going to find out this time." He snapped while drawing back the tapestry slightly more to watch Riley.

Sirius watched as Riley flipped her curls over her shoulder with a dazzling smile, a classic girl move. She then started twiddling with a curl, twisting it round and round her finger before letting it spring back into place, and then starting the process again. He watched with narrowed eyes as Amos took a step closer to Riley so their arms were brushing. Even from this distance he could see the signs of a blush beginning to appear on her cheeks. He said something and Riley threw her head back and laughed, it probably wasn't even funny Sirius though sourly. Her eyes were sparkling as she settled her gaze back on Amos. He asked her something and she pretended to think about it, Sirius could tell, before replying, obviously in the affirmative from the smug grin on Amos' face. Sirius clenched his knuckles so hard they turned white as Amos leant in a brushed Riley' cheek with a kiss. He then strutted down the corridor without another glance. But then again neither did Riley as she went the opposite direction.

Sirius made to follow her but Peter grabbed his arm spinning him around. "No Padfoot, she'll realise we were spying on her. Let's go through the passageway." Peter squeaked obviously afraid of his temper, but Sirius allowed Peter to drag through the passageway and out into the 2nd floor corridor. "Thanks Wormtail, for not letting me go to Riley." Sirius sighed.

"No problem." He replied bashfully, dropping Sirius' arm.

"MOONY!" Sirius shouted as he ran towards his friend. He quickly dismissed the girl by his side, Remus looking apologetic as the girl walked away, an annoyed expression clouding her features. "We have a problem-Riley is going out with Amos again!" Remus shook his head and looked up at Sirius with an unfathomable expression.

"Sirius, if Riley wants to go out with Amos it's none of our business." Remus shifted his bag to his other shoulder and set off down the corridor. A couple of seconds later two more footsteps fell into rhythm with his, "Do you not remember what Amos did last time!? He's a bastard!" Sirius yelled.

Remus pulled him to the side, his eyes darting around nervously as if he expected Riley herself to come out of the shadows. "Padfoot, it's up to Riley who she dates. She's a big girl, she can handle herself."

Sirius features hardened, "Moony!..."

Remus swiftly interrupted him, "Sirius you're acting like a jealous boyfriend!" Sirius' body became rigid and Remus began to wonder if it was the wrong thing to say. His face was a mask, impenetrable and unreadable even to his best friends but Remus could guess what he was thinking. "Is it possible, that maybe you like Riley more than just a friend...?" Remus suggested timidly, watching Sirius' expression carefully.

They're eyes connected as Sirius looked up from the patch of floor he had been glassily staring at. "I don't," He murmured quietly, "I never do..."

"I'll see you later then Pad, me and Wormtail are heading to the Library." Remus and Peter left the musing Sirius silently.

~*~

Remus and Peter walked into the library to find Lily standing behind James, her hand wrapped around his, directing a wand. Remus smiled at the two Heads who were oblivious to his presence. James, seemed to be oblivious to everything but Lily, Remus thought as he studied his friends face; his eyes half closed and a dreamy smile playing on his lips.

Lily re-directed his wand again, glancing up and spotting Remus and Peter by the bookshelves. She dropped James' and immediately and waved at them. James' eyes snapped open as Lily let go of his hands, a confused expression on his face but smiled at his friends. Remus mouthed sorry as he realised he'd ruined their moment, James shook his head unrepentantly and beckoned them over. "Hey guys." James smiled, lounging across his chair.

"Hi Prongs." They replied in unison, both pulling up chairs and sitting at the messy table. "So what's all this?" Remus asked, gesturing to the mountain of crumpled balls of parchment and open text books.

"I'm trying to teach him some Charms." Lily grinned, lifting her head from the book she'd been reading.

"Impossible task, I've been trying to teach him for years." Remus grinned back, ruffling James hair and laughing at his mock outraged look. Lily giggled and went back to her book.

Remus started murmuring quietly to James about Riley going out with Amos. When Lily looked up James had a venomous look in his eyes, "You alright?" Lily questioned in a concerned manner.

"Yeah, fine." James said in a distracted voice. Lily shrugged and picked up her book again. "Where's Padfoot?" Lily heard James ask. The reply was outside, Remus thought. James pushed back his chair and was about to leave as the very person concerned walked through the doors of the library, his nose wrinkled in a similar way to James' had been earlier.

"Hey mates," Sirius shouted cheerfully as sauntered over to their table.

Madame Bibliothek appeared out of nowhere, glaring daggers at Sirius. "Mr Black!" She shrieked, "This is an institute of learning! Please refrain from hollering like a hooligan!"

"Aww don't be like that Bibby!" He swept back his fringe and leant casually against the bookcase. He accidentally jerked it causing a shower of book to fall off the shelves. Heat started rising in Madame Bibliothek's cheeks and Sirius was sure if she could spit fire she would be. "Out! Get out!" She screamed, pointing towards the door. Her furious gaze swung towards the rest of the Marauders and Lily, who were sniggering behind their books, "Your friends too! Out, of all you!"

"No please!" Lily spluttered apologetically.

"Get away from my sacred temple!" She screeched and James quickly grabbed the remaining books and Lily before scampering out of the library.

"I can't believe you got us kicked out of the library," Lily grumbled as they entered their common room. "Now what are we meant to do!?"

Sirius grinned, "Well its obvious isn't it-we're gonna have a party!"

"You have five seconds to run." Lily hissed venomously.

"Hey calm..." Sirius held his hands up, a rather scared look in his eyes.

"ONE," Lily shrieked. Sirius leapt up with Lily in pursuit. They dodged in an out of the furniture, dancing all the way upstairs and back down. Sirius always twisting out of her grip at last minute.

"You sure picked a violent one." Sirius grinned as he reached James again. It was the last thing he said before he was tackled into the ground by an infuriated red head. Well you all know what they say about their tempers...

**Well there it was :) Hope it was good?? **

**Have to say sorry for the awful title I seriously didn't know what to call it lol (the pun was intended ;)**

**Anyways SNOW!!! Hehe i couldn't resist, we have snow! I love snow! Lol ;)**

**Who else has snow?? :) **

**I've decided to dedicate this to Kristen/Kiley. (I do know Kristen is your real name ;) because she is really awesome and makes me laugh with her PM's.**

**So review for me :) **

**As always xshrimpyx**


	23. Snow is falling

HEY HEY HEY! THIRD SNOW DAY THIS WEEK PEOPLE! SO EXCITED!!!! HOW'S EVERYBODY ELSE ENJOYING THE SNOW!??! FINGERS CROSSED TOMMOROW IS ANOTHER SNOW DAY! XD

...SNOW IS FALLING ALL AROUND US

CHILDREN PLAYING, HAVING FUN...:)

LOL ANYWAYS I WONDER IF ANYBODY CAN TELL ME WHERE I'VE USED A LINE FROM TWILIGHT ;) KEEP AN EYE OUT.

AND FINALLY SOME RILEY/SIRIUS LURRRRRRVE :D

DISCLAIMER: ALL, SADLY, BELONGS TO THE AMAZINGLY TALENTED J.K ROWLING, WHO MAKES EVERY KID WISH TO BE A WIZARD.

**SNOW IS FALLING!**

"PRONGS! PRONGS IT'S SNOWING!" Sirius screamed ecstatically as he thundered up the stairs. James groaned as his door was flung open and Sirius dived onto his bed, throwing all the covers on the floor. James buried his head under his pillow trying, unsuccessfully, to block out his friend.

"Padfoot, it's 5.30 in the morning! Didn't you have a date last night-shouldn't you be asleep!?" James groaned, wrestling with Sirius for the pillow. Sirius turned out victorious and chucked the pillow at the door, leaving James huddled in a ball on his bare mattress trying to keep warm. Sirius stood up and started bouncing on James bed, an idiotic grin on his face. "But Prongs it's snowing! Look!" He pointed to the window and James followed his gaze, looking out onto the glistening, snow covered grounds that were still untouched.

Lily stumbled through the door into James' room. "What on earth is going on!? It's half five in the bloody morning!" Lily scolded, running a hand through her messy scarlet tresses.

"Sirius wants to play in the snow." James moaned into the mattress. Sirius jolted the bed as he launched himself off it, emitting another moan from James, and bounded up to Lily. "Flower! Come join us." He demanded, "We're having a snowball fight. Actually why don't you go wake up Alice and, Riley too." Sirius stuttered slightly as he said the last name, but Lily tactfully ignored it as he steered her in the direction of her room. "Do I even have a choice?" Lily muttered, shaking her sleep deprived head.

"Nope." Sirius informed her cheerfully, the idiotic grin still on his face, his eyes still sparkling.

Twenty minutes later, the Marauders, Lily, Alice, Frank and Riley tramped out of the castle and into the snow. Sirius immediately started dashing across the grounds, scooping up snow and chucking it at everyone. Pretty soon snowballs were flying and voices were laughing joyously.

"Ok time out time out!" Lily gasped, doubled over from laughing. Her friends all dropped their snowballs and made their way back to her, huge grins plastering all of their faces.

"I think we need to make proper teams." Sirius announced, brushing his slopping wet fringe away from his jubilant orbs. "How about the Marauders versus you guys?" He suggested gesturing to Alice, Frank, Riley and Lily.

"That is so not fair!" Alice complained, "You guys would slaughter us."

"Fine. How about me, Moony, Alice and Frank and then Prongs, Lily, Riley and Wormtail?" Everyone nodded in agreement, "Then it's sorted. Team Sirius huddle up!"

"Oh, we're not being called Team Sirius!" James chuckled as he heard Alice and Sirius bickering over the name of their team instead of talking team tactics.

James' eyes gleamed as he surveyed his team. His grin doubled as he lead his team behind the base Sirius had built earlier. "Ok guys here's the plan. I'll take out Sirius as he's the most threat. Riles you take on Moony, I know he seems all nice and what not but he was a wicked curve ball. Evans can you handle Frank?" Lily nodded, and a grin worked its way onto her lips. "That leaves Alice for you Wormtail."

"Ambush!" Came Sirius' war cry and his team pelted James' base with snowballs. Lily and Riley legged it straight out of the base, scooping up snowballs and firing them as they went. Peter hid behind the tree in the hope he wouldn't be found. James went full speed ahead, tackling Sirius to the ground with a laugh and shoving snow in his face. Sirius quickly flipped his over, thrusting snow down his jacket with a bark of laughter at James' outraged face.

He leapt to his feet and sprinted across the grounds, James chucking snowballs at his head with a huge grin. James felt a huge wad of snow, smack his neck and slide down his jacket. He turned around in surprise to find Frank running for cover, laughing all the way. James caught Lily' gaze and they came to a silent agreement, both changing their course of path to track Frank.

Sirius glancing behind him to throw a snowball at James; Sirius tripped straight over Riley, flattening her to the snow. Sirius looked down at the girl lying still beneath him and couldn't help but stare.

She looked so beautiful lying in the snow. Her chocolaty brown curls were scattered across the blanketed ground; the white snowflakes amongst her curls glistened dazzlingly. Her skin was pale, almost the same colour as the snow beneath them, but her cheeks were flushed prettily. Sirius saved her eyes for last; as soon as he looked into the green orbs he knew it. He knew what Remus, James and even Peter had been trying to tell him- he fancied the pants off her. So he did the only reasonable thing he could possibly think of doing. He leant down so his face was hovering right above hers and shoved a snowball down her top.

Riley let out a squeal of surprise and tackled Sirius who was attempting to run away. This time she was smirking, she grabbed a handful of snow and dropped it into Sirius open mouth. Giggling, she ran away, leaving the affronted Sirius to gather himself and sprint after her.

A little while later, when the sun had properly risen and the clocks chimed a reasonable hour, students started running out of the doors and into the snow. It was then the Marauders, Lily, Riley, Frank and Alice decided they'd had enough and dodged the snowballs on their way back into the castle.

"That was so much fun." Lily laughed, brushing snow out her hair. Her wide-green eyes found James who sent her a heart-melting smile that sent shivers down her spine. She blushed, looking away as she pulled off her white woolly hat and unwound her scarf, and turned to Riley.

Riley was looking better than she had in days, her cheeks flushed and she spun circles into the hall, giggling. Sirius was looking like a lost puppy, his eyes following Riley's movements as she danced across the empty hall, laughter ringing.

Alice and Frank had their arms wrapped around each other, lost in their own little world. Frank murmured something to Alice who blushed and kissed his cheek, smiling. Lily looked away, not wanting to get caught up in their moment.

"They're a sweet couple aren't they?" Remus appeared beside her, loping along at an easy pace. She nodded, twisting round to face him. Remus' eyes swept across the hall to where Sirius had run after Riley, a cheeky smile on his face, and spun her around as she screamed with delight.

"It's about time he realised." Remus commented. Lily knew exactly what he meant, watching Sirius' face as Riley wriggled free and sped across the hall. She gave a yelp, losing her balance, her arms flailing. Lily watched in slow motion as her best friend began slowly falling backwards, she felt her own mouth open in a silent warning but before anyone else could react, Sirius had darted forward and he caught Riley just as her head smacked onto the floor.

Silence fell across the hall, until the others sprung to life, their footsteps clattering across the marble floor. Lily got there first, her breathless words tumbling over each other, "Riles! Are-are you okay?" Riley's eyelids fluttered open, staring into Sirius' worried orbs.

"Uhm..." Riley mumbled, blurry figures slowly clearing. Alice was on her knees beside Riley, waving her wand, running diagnostic spells. She sat back on her heels, a relieved smile on her face, "You're ok." Frank hugged her from behind, pressing a kiss onto her forehead, "See, Ali, she's fine." Alice relaxed into her boyfriend's arms, allowing Remus and Peter through to Riley.

"Merlin's pants, Riles, don't scare us like that." Remus gasped, his golden-brown hair falling into his eyes. Peter nodded in agreement. Lily felt a little faint, although relieved and slid onto the floor, "Thank goodness you're okay." James stood above them all, evidently having trouble comprehending what was going on. He kept shooting worried looks at Lily and Riley.

Riley sat up slowly, Sirius still supporting her, as she rubbed her head, "I'm okay, guys, just bumped the floor a little."

"Hell Riley you ok?" Sirius whispered hoarsely, finally finding his voice. It had only just kind of hit home when he saw Riley falling how much he really cared for her and the strength of his need to protect her. Sirius ran his hand through her hair and over her skull, not satisfied with Alice's diagnosis. Riley twisted her head around, blinking, "Yeah." The others melted away, James pulling Lily away from the two of them.

"Never EVER do that again." Sirius commanded Riley, brushing his black hair away from his eyes.

Riley stared up at him, a frown dominating her features, hiding the hurt she was really feeling. "I thought you didn't care." She said bitterly, twisting away so she could evade Sirius' eyes.

Sirius sat back on his heels, sighing and shook his head furiously. "I don't...I can't see you h-hurt. I just can't." His voice trailed off as he rethought what he just said, "Please just don't scare me like that Riles." Riley turned around, facing him fully. Her green eyes searched his face and the sincerity and fear she found there scared her.

"Sirius, I..." She struggled out of Sirius' grip and stood up abruptly, her emotions threatening to overcome her as she felt tears well up in her eyes. Sirius followed her, "Riley..." Riley carried on walking, straight out into the snow, people's laughter seemingly far away. Sirius followed the brown-haired girl, the worry etched onto his handsome face as they got further from the school with no sign of stopping.

They finally reached the lake and Riley halted right on the edge. Sirius caught up with her, standing behind her as she looked over the frozen water. They stood there silently for a while, eventually Sirius breaking the silence, "It's beautiful really. Untouched." Riley not trusting herself to speak, nodding mutely.

"It's kind of like you...I-I really like you Riles and I didn't mean to hurt you that way." Riley remained facing the lake but her body posture showed she was listening.

Riley paused and then spoke, her voice cracking with emotion, "Why do I get the feeling we're not talking about me banging my head anymore." She asked quietly, still not turning to face Sirius.

Sirius turned her around gently so he was looking straight into her eyes, "Because we're not." Sirius squeezed his eyes shut for a couple of moments before opening his grey orbs and staring straight at her. "I really like you Riley and I know I'm not exactly the perfect boyfriend, but...will you go out with me Riley? Riley's heart leapt to her throat and she clamped her mouth shut as the only way to stop herself from screaming from ecstasy. "For real this time. I mean I just kept on getting these feelings, I've never felt this way before and I don't know if I'll be a good boyfriend but I really do like you Riles." Sirius babbled nervously.

"Yes, Sirius, yes!" Riley squealed, effectively cutting off his rambling. Sirius' smile was more blinding than the snow around them as he hugged her tightly to his chest.

They stood, embraced, in that same position for many minutes until Sirius finally pulled away. Riley made sure there were no traces of tears as she looked up into Sirius' eyes, an enchanting smile on her lips. Sirius hesitantly bent down, his eyes constantly on hers, asking for her permission all the time. She granted it and sighed as she felt his lips touch hers gently.

It was as if they were on fire and Riley wrenched Sirius' head as she tried to pull him closer; her hands knotted in his hair. Sirius was caressing her face in his hands, his fingers tracing every inch of her face. Sirius moaned inaudible against her lips-they felt, and tasted, like heaven. When they broke apart, both gasping for air, she had a beautiful smile on her face. Sirius tucked a strand of her chocolate hair behind her ear and tugged her to him against, moulding her lips to his. Around them, the snow began falling, a perfect ending to a perfect day.

There you have it!! Riley and Sirius are finally together! Applause applause :)

I really hope you liked it, so please please review and make my day even more wonderful!

Ok another song for you to guess the name of:

_Did you forget that I was even alive_

_Did you forget everything we ever had_

_Did you forget, did you forget about me_

_Did you regret ever standing by my side_

_Did you forget what we were feeling inside_

_Now I'm left to forget about us_

_But somewhere we went wrong_

_We were once so strong_

_Our love is like a song_

_You can't forget it_

That's an awesome song so yeah, who knows the name?

Have a totally awesome day (especially if you have snow ;)

Love you all,

Shrimpy xx


	24. Confessions

Hi!! Ok so this is a shorted one than usual but not by too much. I hope you like it because this chapter is one of my favourites. Well I don't think I have anything else to add accept review because I love it so much.

Disclaimer-I love the Jonas Brothers!!! 3 love love love 3

Confessions

Riley stormed into the common room, a livid look etched into her features. She scanned the room hastily and thundered over to her friends, who were all staring at her with concerned and slightly curious expressions. She threw herself down on the armchair next to Lily, smothering her face with a cushion and screaming into it. "I hate you Sirius Black!"

"Riley!" Sirius shouted, running into the common room, his face twisted in frustrated and angst. He skidded to a halt at the edge of his circle of friends, where Riley had sat down.

"Don't talk to me!" Riley shrieked back, lifting her head from the cushion and glaring at him. Their friends looked wordlessly between them, trying desperately to work out what was going on.

Suddenly James leapt up, the biggest grin on his face and turned to his best friend. He looked between Riley and Sirius, exploding with laughter. He vaulted across the table and tackled Sirius to the ground in one move. "She said yes!" James yelled ecstatically, wrestling with Sirius on the ground, both with huge smiles.

"How did you know!?" Sirius grinned, pining James to the ground and shooting a wink at Riley who giggled into her cushion.

James shrugged, "Had a feeling." James ruffled Sirius' hair affectionately and Sirius tried to scowl, but James infectious grin won over breaking through Sirius' frown. He batted James' hands away, smoothing down his hair.

"That's kinda creepy." He laughed, messing up James' already dishevelled hair, in much the same way. James shot him a glare and mumbled something about 'beautiful hair' and 'unappreciative' under his breath; Sirius sniggered. He rolled off James, lending his hand to his best friend as he pulled him to his feet. They brushed themselves off, only vaguely aware everyone was staring at them, but when had they ever not been the centre of attention.

"So how'd it happen? What did you say? Did you kiss?" James asked eagerly, his wide grin not diminishing in the slightest as Sirius smacked him across the head.

"You're starting to sound like a chick Prongs my man...Well you always were the effeminate one." He added as an afterthought.

James looked affronted and was about to tackle Sirius again as he heard a cough. They both turned around and met the attention of well, everyone. This time is was Remus who jumped upright; he glanced quickly between Sirius, Riley and James' humungous grin before embracing his friend. "Congratulations Padfoot." He said softly, a warm smile on his face.

"Took you long enough to figure it out Moony." Sirius grinned, clapping Remus on the back. He slung his arms around both of his friends and turned to meet the others who were at the very least completely bewildered.

"What's going on?" Lily demanded, peering suspiciously at the faces of the grinning Marauders.

"Well," Sirius drawled, "I'll show you." Riley was already standing beside him as he finished the sentence and Sirius treated her to another wink. His arms dropped away from his friends, who tactfully took a step back, and he reached for Riley. She came readily into his arms, pressing an eager kiss to his lips. Riley wound her arms around his neck and Sirius placed his hands on her waist, coaxing her forwards.

Lily looked as if she was about to faint as she heard Riley let out a barely audible moan and saw Sirius slip his hand under Riley's shirt. James scampered over and took Lily by the elbow, guiding her gently to an armchair. "Enough Padfoot, I think Evans is going to pass out." He laughed, shaking his wild mane of hair.

Sirius shook his head obstinately and continued kissing Riley; Remus and James laughed again and each took an arm, towing Sirius away from her. "Goodbye my love!" Sirius proclaimed at a very red faced Riley, flashing his teeth. Remus and James released Sirius with a chuckle when he was a sufficient distance away from Riley.

Riley trotted up to Lily, with a smirk at Sirius who was watching her short skirt swishing tantalizingly as she walked, and knelt down by her chair, "Are you ok? You look like you've gone into shock."

"You, Sirius...kissing!" Lily spluttered and Riley let out a tinkle of laughter.

"Yeah, we're kinda dating now." She said with a shrug, but there was no hiding the elated smile on her face.

"Oh I'm so happy for you Riles." Lily exclaimed, coming out of her trance and hugging Riley tightly, letting a pleased smile creep its way onto her lips.

"Me too." Riley murmured into her friend's ear. Riley was quickly swept up in a hug by James who was busy shouting congratulations in her ear and claiming he should take all credit for their getting together.

LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ

Lily sat in the head's room slowly allowing the realisation of Riley being with Sirius to dawn on her. A smile appeared on her face, it had taken a long time for them to realise that, well Sirius at least. Around her were pieces of crumbled paper and parchment, splattered with ink. The warm glow of the fire lighted her features as she doodled thoughtfully on yet another piece of paper. Looking down, she noticed, to her utmost horror that she had doodled an L entwined with a J. Trying to persuade herself she was thinking of someone else (although she couldn't think of anyone other than herself and James) she realised that James was still not back. The clock told her it was at least two hours past curfew. She frowned, trying not to get worried as she threw the last piece of parchment into the fire, causing it to flicker and crackle, the shadows dancing along the walls. She walked over to the windowseat of the room, staring out, her emerald green eyes reflected back by the glass. Beyond were the Hogwarts grounds covered in snow. Half-hearted mounds cast long shadows in the moonlight and there was barely an inch of snow that lay untouched. Snow angels gleamed in the waning light and snowballs the size of six year olds were dotted around. She smiled at the sight, turning away from the window and her eyes once again, being drawn towards the clock. Knowing she would not be able to rest tonight, she pulled on her thick cloak from where it had been dumped on the couch and headed out. Ignoring Shelley's grumpy yells she cast a point me spell and set off in search of a certain James Potter.

"Hey." Lily called softly, padding across the owlery almost silently. James spun around and gave her a dazzling smile, his hair blowing gently in the breeze. She stood next to him and watched as he stroked the feathers of his owl absent-mindly. Lily leant over and touched his bird gently, massaging the feathers on its' neck; the bird let out a soft 'coo' and Lily giggled. She retracted her hand and glanced under her eyelashes at James who appeared to be in deep thought, a noticeable frown adorning his features. "It's after curfew." Lily stated lightly, following James' stare into the night sky.

James glanced down at his watch, his frown deepening, "I didn't notice. What are you doing up here then?" He asked curiously, still gazing into the distance.

Lily paused for a second but decided to be honest, "I was looking for you; you've been out for nearly three hours." She admitted, twisting so she was leaning towards him. James didn't reply and Lily studied his face, searching for an answer. It came in the form of a letter, a crumpled letter James was gripping tightly in his fisted hand. "What's in the letter? Something bad?" Lily asked, anxiety masking her features.

There was a long pause and James turned, unleashing his eyes on Lily. "It's from Sirius' parents." James said in the empty voice that Lily was learning usually came when he was deeply hurt.

"Can I read it?" Lily asked gently, extending her hand to James. He hesitated and seemed to take a lot of effort in unfurling his fist. His hand was shaking as Lily plucked the piece of parchment out of it and smoothed it out. James watched her intently as she read the letter, Lily's eyes looked confused as she lifted her head to gaze into James' eyes. "What does it mean? I mean it's...horrible. Cruel but from what Sirius says, not really uncommon. Why are you acting like its something really really bad?" Lily asked, the apprehension bubbling to the surface as she slowly realised. "They're going to hurt him." She gasped, her hand smothering her cry.

It took James a moment to get his voice under control again, "Last time Sirius went home, he arrived on my doorstep a week later and I thought he was going to die." James confessed, the unconcealed pain in his eyes making Lily's eyes fill with tears. "He had huge gashes that were pouring blood in loads of different places, a broken leg and it was obvious they'd used the cruciatus curse. If mum hadn't been able to take him to St. Mungos in time I don't know if I'd still have my best friend."

Lily gasped loudly, "They used it on...their son." She cried softly, "What kind of sick monsters can do that?"

"I hate them! I hate them so much for what they've done to him it!" He whispered harshly, his eyes blazing and his body shaking uncontrollably. "You know he cried that night, he left home forever. He thought I couldn't hear him, but he cried, all night into his pillow." A tear spilled over James lashes and he rubbed at it ferociously. His voice was gaining volume and shaking almost as much as his torso. "And I will kill them for what they did." He shouted passionately and Lily wasn't sure if his shout or whisper scared her more. She reached for him hesitantly, placing his arms around her waist and sinking into his chest, hugging him tightly. James seemed surprised at first but settled into it, relaxing in her hold and claming his shaking. "James," She murmured, trying to get some sense into his head, "They'd kill you first. You know they would." She pulled him tighter, the fear obvious in her tone, and felt his body vibrate as he sighed.

"I know, Lily, I know."

Something about their friendship changed that night. What it was, neither knew, but they knew they were in no position to go back to calling each other by their surnames.

Well there we have it. I hope you all liked it as much as I did.

You know the drill,

Love you all

Shrimpy xx


	25. A secret, passionate affair

Hola Chicas! Que pasa?

Muy bien I hope :)

Ok so this isn't my best chapter but it's not awful either (I hope lol). So in this chapter, Lily and James' relationship moves on quite a lot but I don't think it's too unbelievable. It's just at the rate I'm going this story is never going to be finished, but don't worry we've still got a long way to go 

Disclaimer-Yup, that's me *sarcasm*

**A secret, passionate affair**

"No! It's onion root!" Lily laughed, jabbing at the ingredient in her book. James rubbed his glasses and pushed them back up his nose, peering suspiciously at the book.

James groaned, "But Slughorn said unicorn drool!"

"That's for Aribitta Flosum," Lily grinned, flipping forward a couple of pages and showing him the passage; he groaned in defeat.

"I've done my essay all wrong!" James moaned, "I spend years on that essay!" He flopped backwards, hiding his face in a pillow. "I hate potions!" He muttered, glaring viciously at his essay and borrowed textbook, looking very much like he wished they would burst into flames.

"Oh come on, they're not that hard." Lily encouraged him with a bright smile; James grunted some indistinguishable in response and Lily rolled her eyes playfully, getting the gist of what he was saying. Her ears pricked as she heard the unmistakable boom of Sirius' laughter and she walked to the entrance, stuck her head out and greeted Sirius.

Sirius strolled into the common room where he spent a large majority of his time, despite both Lily and James' half-hearted protest, with a scheming expression on his face and James was immediately wary. "Prongs!" He said with a devious smile which confirmed James suspicion he was planning something, "I need the map!" He bounded up the stairs to James' room without waiting for him to answer and then shouted his voice muffled by the walls, "Where is it?"

"In my trunk, I think." James winced as he heard a crash followed by a faint, 'I'm alright'. He turned to Lily whose eyes were narrowed, no doubt at Sirius' obvious scheming. She twisted casually in her seat so she could survey James, "What map?" She asked in a distrustfully calm voice which sounded only mildly interested. She smiled as she said it, completely throwing James off and putting him on edge.

"Just this...thing...Hey what was the next ingredient?" James quickly changed the subject, diverting the conversation back to Potions. Lily did not look particularly happy at James evading her question but appeared to accept that he wasn't going to tell her and go back to Potions. James heaved an internal sigh of relief as Lily dropped the subject and continued helping him with his Potions.

There was some shuffling upstairs and then a long pause, where Sirius appeared to be motionless. "Have you found it?" James bellowed up the stairs with a quick glance at Lily, standing up to go help Sirius look, when Sirius appeared at the top of the staircase, looking weird.

"Are..."

Sirius interrupted James, his voice quavering ever so slightly as he descended the stairs, his eyes locked on James'. "What's this?" Sirius demanded, stopping in front of his friend, and holding out a crumpled piece of paper. Lily recognised it as the letter from Sirius' parents and bit her lip, anticipating trouble. "Where did you get it from?" Sirius insisted when James failed to reply.

"Look mate don't get angry, but I took it off _Regulus_' bird when I was in the Owlery." James tried to calm Sirius, looking steadfastly into his eyes which were betraying signs of irritation. "But, you're not going back. I won't let you." James said bluntly, staring defiantly into his friend's eyes. James and Sirius appeared to be having a silent argument as Lily watched from the shadows of the common room; both had their arms crossed and were obviously challenging each other.

"You know they wouldn't ask me back if it wasn't for something..._important_." Sirius said emphasising the important. His features had completely hardened leaving no trace of the excited smile that was there a minute ago and were void of all emotion; at least Lily thought they were.

"I don't care," James said stubbornly, "I'm not letting you go back. Mum and dad won't let you either." James replied confidently and Lily could see that had hit a nerve with Sirius. Sirius had obviously seen the sheer determination in James eyes Lily had when he sighed in a defeated manner and fell back onto the sofa. They seemed to be silently communicating again, much to Lily's annoyance, when Sirius rolled his eyes at James and muttered, "It's not like I wanted to go."

It threw Lily off as the atmosphere suddenly lost all tension and Sirius cracked a smile, messing up James hair and beckoning to Lily who was tottering by the kitchen. "Flower! How's life as the most important girl in the school treating you?" He grinned, patting the space next to him on the sofa. Lily made her way over, as usual completely bewildered by Sirius' rapid mood swings.

"Good I guess." Lily and Sirius chattered for another couple of minutes, James interrupting ever now and then to ask random questions about the essay. James looked up after rather viciously crossing out a paragraph of his homework, "Padfoot why did you need the map anyway?"

Sirius flashed his pearly whites widely, almost as if he had been expecting the question. He winked at Lily, his grey eyes glittering with mirth, "Let's just say I think the Slytherins have gotten a little too comfortable."

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"Lily!" James grinned, running down the corridor towards her with a huge smile on his face, brandishing his Potions essay. "I got an Outstanding!"

"Congratulations!" Lily beamed, squealing with delight as James picked her up and swung her around. He set her on her feet, laughing as he had to grab her elbow to stop her from falling over. Lily's cheeks were flushed and her lips were curved into a dazzling smile that showed off her perfect teeth. James pulled her into for another hug, oblivious that all of their friends were staring at them. "I couldn't have done it without you!" James said seriously, "I've never got an Outstanding in Potions before!" Lily blushed a deeper shade of red, "I didn't do anything really." She said modestly, ducking her head and dodging James' eyes embarrassedly.

"Oh course you did!" James exclaimed, slinging his arm around Lily's shoulders and taking Lily's heavy bag off her as they walked down the corridor to their next class, leaving their friends standing in a state of shock staring after them.

James sent Lily a cheeky smile as she turned around in her seat and she responded with a small laugh and brilliant smile of her own. She went back to facing the front as Sirius slid into the seat beside James. "Hey dude." Sirius whispered, clicking his fingers in front of James face to gain his attention. James' gaze immediately flickered to Sirius, a smile playing on his lips. "Hey Pad."

Sirius leant backwards on his chair so he was rocking on the back legs of his chair. He stretched his arms; lacing his fingers together above his head and causing half the class to sigh as his t-shirt rode up a little exposing a slither of tanned skin above the waistband of his trousers. Sirius seemed unaware, or else ignored the sighs, as he smirked down at his friend. "A little birdie told me you and our favourite flower were practically making out in the hall way today."

James' jaw dropped open a little and out of the corner of his eye, Sirius could see Lily stiffen-she had obviously just heard what he said. James stared wordlessly at his friend, his eyes confused, and his cheeks pink. "We did not kiss! I hugged her!" James spluttered. Sirius just raised his eyebrows, still smirking. "Honestly! This school gossips too much, is it really so scandalous I hugged someone who I'm not dating!?" James grumbled, glaring at Sirius who was still smirking.

"Whatever you say Jamesie poo."

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"So I heard you and Lily were snogging each others' pants off in the corridor," Remus smirked, looking up from his game of chess, when a red faced James stomped through the common room door.

"We were hugging!" James shouted in agitation, throwing himself down onto the floor, his bag landing beside him with a thunk.

"I figured." Remus smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "But the rest of the school seems to think you two are in some sort of secret, passionate affair." He grinned, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

"Who's in a secret, passionate affair?" Riley asked as she bounced over to where Remus, Peter and James were sitting.

"Lily and James." Remus replied with an easy smile.

"Cool. Can I be bridesmaid?" Riley laughed, secretly high-fiving Remus when James screamed into a pillow.

"I'm glad you all think my life is a joke. I almost got killed by some third years trying to stop my affair with Lily!" James grumbled, pushing himself up and slouching off to their dorm.

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Lily ran the day's events through her mind, sighing as she remembered all the girls who had accosted her warning her to stay away from James. She shook her head and replayed the bit where James had hugged her. It had been wonderful. He was so warm and when she hugged him it felt so...right. But hugs were supposed to feel like that, right?

She was brought out of her musings by James sprinting through the corridor towards her, his black cloak flying and his broom tucked under one arm. As he halted right in front of her she realised he must have been in the shower. His hair was darker than usual-jet black-and dripping water everywhere. It appeared even a shower couldn't make it lye flat as it stuck up in its usual windswept position. Lily could smell James even though he stood a couple of feet away from her and he smelt good. Who was she kidding, he smelt fantastic! It was an odd mixture of scents that Lily couldn't quite place but it was heavenly, why had she never noticed it before?

Lily snapped back into reality and realised James' lips were moving, "...late but Michelle fell off her broom and I had to take her to the hospital wing and then I needed a shower."

Lily held up her hand with a small smile, "It's ok. Let's get going then?" James nodded and they started walking down the corridor.

"Look Lily, you haven't, nobodies been _mean_ to you or anything have they?" James asked anxiously, trying to phrase his question in a less awkward way.

"Well your fan club did ambush me a couple of times, and I'm afraid a couple of them got a firecrackers hex." Lily tried to hide her smirk as James gave her a delighted smile.

James let out a short chuckle and surveyed Lily with an impressed air. "I'm sorry about that. I did tell them to back off."

Lily smiled at James shyly, "It isn't your fault,"

"I don't get why it's such a big deal we hugged, but now it has turned into the gossip of the week. Did you know that we're in a secret, passionate affair Lily?" James grinned, laughing as Lily's cheeks turned faintly pink. "Apparently it's so secret we didn't know about it." They both laughed; James' deep chuckle harmonising with Lily's sweet tinkle of laughter.

Done! Hope you enjoyed it :) this was quite a cute Lily and James fluffy chapter. Remember to REVIEW! Haha I'm hoping that by putting it in capitals it will stand out in your mind and you'll do it. Did it work?

As always

xshrimpyx


	26. 10 questions

Heyy! It's been too long...really.

So I want to just say thanks to a lot of people: firstly to all of my friends for being an inspiration for my writing-you guys are truly the best and I love you all. To my family for being all so amazing in their own, messed up way lol ;) And to all of my reviewers for giving me the incentive to carry on writing.

Disclaimer-What do you mean I'm not J K Rowling!?...What do you mean I'm a teenager!?...I just have a very good anti-wrinkle cream...Well this is just prejudiced and I won't stand for it! Hmph! *Flips hair*

Also I have a _warning_ to anyone reading this chapter-it is seriously weird! My writing never seems to be the same in two chapters lol. But this one is especially weird, ummm and sorry to all Remus fans-he goes a little crazzzzzy in this chapter. Actually completely crazy lol but I couldn't resist :P

Haha lol sorry I'm in such a random mood. I'm so happy 'cos all my mocks are finally over and it's Easter!!! Oh yeah, **HAPPY EASTER!!! :D**

**10 questions**

Lily and Alice strolled into the common room with linked arms. They deposited their bags onto the floor and collapsed into two armchairs that some first years had just vacated. "Being seventh years sure comes in handy." Alice giggled, watching the 11 year olds scamper off with worried looks etched into their young features.

"Alice!" Lily scolded, smacking her friend gently on the arm. Alice turned her grin to Lily who couldn't help but smile back. "I guess it does...but we shouldn't use it to our advantage!" Lily added hastily, Alice responded by rolling her eyes. Alice closed her eyes, enjoying a few moments of rare peace. It was shattered by Sirius almost as soon as it started.

"Alright midgets, get out of my way!" Sirius boomed, grinning delightedly as everyone in his path scattered, strutting down the common room with a walk that belonged on the runway. Remus trailed behind Sirius, carrying two book bags and looking very much like a pack mule. He looked over to Lily and rolled his eyes, gesturing to Sirius who was striding towards the window sill where a mob of black hair was just about visible. She smiled and waved, turning back to Alice who was mumbling something about meeting Frank.

"Ok, see you at dinner." Lily waved her friend off, carefully avoiding Nigel's sudden coffee gaze which was smirking her way and blowing her a kiss. Lily watched out of the corner of her eye as he shrugged off a pretty blonde girl and pranced towards her. She looked around wildly for an escape, finding it in the form of James Potter. He raised his eyebrows, an annoying smirk playing on his lips, as she mouthed 'help me', jerking her head towards the rapidly approaching Nigel. James shrugged and hopped off his perch, swaggering towards Lily, to where Nigel had just arrived.

"Hi babe." Nigel winked and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, stepping closer to Lily who edged backwards.

"Hey Lily," James said cheerfully, slinking an arm around Lily's waist casually. "Hi Nigel, hey did I tell you you're eyebrows look kind of spastic when you do that. Maybe you should go see a doctor about them?" Nigel's face was set in a deep scowl and was flushed bright red as he stood, speechless and fuming as James led Lily away.

"Thanks, again." Lily smiled, James' smirk becoming contagious.

James grinned in reply, letting his arm fall away from Lily's waist and swing backwards and forwards by his side.

Lily snuck a glance behind her to find Nigel still standing, glaring after them, trying to burn a hole into James' back. "Looks like you just made an enemy." Lily observed with a laugh, gesturing to Nigel. James turned around and gave Nigel a wave, chocking back a laugh when Nigel's eyes turned into silts.

"Woah, umm James?" Lily asked concerned, stumbling as she tripped over what appeared to be Sirius unconscious on the floor. She nudged James, pointing to where Sirius lay on the ground. James rolled his eyes, crouched down and smacked Sirius across the face.

"James!" Lily exclaimed with wide eyes and James shrugged in reply and muttered 'Remus'. "Shouldn't we take him to the hospital wing!?" Lily asked, dithering about anxiously. She watched James throw Sirius' arm over his shoulder, haul him to his feet and drag him over to an armchair with a grunt.

"Nah. He'll come round in about half an hour." James explained, letting Sirius slump over onto the chair, his head flopping into his lap.

Lily just stared in shock, eying Sirius' immobile body fretfully, "Why does it sound like this has happened before?" She asked suspiciously, her eyebrows rising into her hairline.

"Because it has," James grinned, "Every so often Sirius will steal some of Remus' chocolate and Remus will hex him. Or sometimes, like now, he puts sleeping draught in his chocolate so Sirius gets knocked out."

"Uh, why?" Lily's expression was befuddled. Remus was clearly not as normal as she had thought for the previous six years. But really she shouldn't be surprised, he was, after all, best friends with James and Sirius and that, spoke for itself.

"I don't really know. Remus has a weird obsession with chocolate, like he has to eat it. And he gets really possessive. One time in first year Peter ate his whole stash and Remus cursed him so badly he was in the hospital wing for a week! Remus got two weeks detention." As if on cue Remus appeared, cradling a bar of half eaten chocolate lovingly. "Hi mate. What happened to Pad?" He asked cheerfully, a smile lighting his features.

"He touched my chocolate." Remus growled, his expression darkening and his eyes darting around crazily when Lily's gaze slid to Sirius who had stirred. James and Lily nodded mechanically, backing off as Remus advanced, clutching his chocolate possessively.

"It's ok Remus," Lily calmed, her voice soothing. "We don't want your chocolate."

"Good," He snarled, spinning on his heel and running out up the stairs to his dormitory.

"That was weird..." Lily stated, not used to seeing that friend act crazy. James didn't reply and had an odd smile on his face as he stared fondly after his friend.

"Do you want to go outside?" Lily asked, gesturing to the window, which was sparkling under the bright sun.

"Sure." James smiled, gesturing for Lily to lead the way. She took them down to sit on the edge of the lake on a big boulder.

"Let's play ten questions." Lily suggested as they sat down underneath the tree they always seemed to come back to.

"But I already know everything about you." James replied, as honest as always.

Lily's eyes narrowed subconsciously, "No you don't."

"Maybe not everything," James compromised, "But you'd be surprised how much you pick up after stalking someone for 6 years." He shrugged, trying to come off as being nonchalant, but James suspected she saw straight through him.

"But...I don't know anything about you." Lily pointed out, "I'll ask you the questions." James glanced over at her, shading his eyes from the shining sun, with his hand. The sun seemed to light up Lily's hair so it looked like a flame surrounding her head; shimmering and shining every time she moved. Her emerald orbs looked unfathomable as he searched them, getting lost in a sea of green. He pulled himself out of them when Lily's face became confused. He realised he hadn't given her an answer and nodded.

"What's your favourite colour?" Lily questioned after a momentary pause, feeling bad when James looked up, surprised-obviously he thought she would have known that.

"Green." James replied and Lily could have sworn his cheeks had flushed. She met his gaze and he appeared to be waiting for her reaction.

Lily raised her eyebrows at the revelation, her surprise evident. "I would have bet my life you would have said red and gold; you being a Gryffindor boy all the way."

James shook his head; a smile playing on his lips, Lily assumed it was from a memory. "Emerald green has been my favourite colour since first year."

"Why?" Lily asked, curiosity burning in her gaze as James locked eyes with her again.

James hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second before answering, "It's the colour of your eyes." James said bluntly. Lily's mouth formed an 'o' and she dropped her gaze from James', temporarily speechless and not really knowing how to answer that. "But when you're angry they turn darker, bottle green, and when you're happy they're almost as light as the blades of grass. They have lots of different shades, depending on your mood."

Her cheeks flamed red, James making her blush harder when he lifted her chin so she would look him in the eyes. Once again Lily cursed her pale cheeks, allowing everybody to read her reactions easily. "Don't be embarrassed Lily, I'm just being honest." James murmured, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Sorry." Lily mumbled, willing the red in her cheeks to fade. Lily scanned the grounds, looking for something to initiate a good question. She didn't know if she would ever get James being completely honest with her again. "What's with those nicknames you all have? Prongs? Wormtail?"

James' face went blank, almost as if he was trying to hide his emotions from her. He then offered her a small grin, "Marauders secret."

A small sigh escaped Lily's lips, "I thought you might say that...This may seem rude but I always wondered, along with the rest of the student body, why Peter is in the Marauders? I mean, don't get me wrong he's a great guy and all but he doesn't really seem to fit the bill..."

She looked up into James' eyes and he seemed angry, his eyes burning fiercely. "Everyone seems to think you have to be 'hot' and 'popular' to be in the Marauders. The Marauders were based on two things; the want to be the greatest pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen and friendships that were thicker than blood. It doesn't matter that Peter is not very good-looking, not clever and is kind of a wimp-I would trust him with my life." When James had finished his explanation his eyes were burning brightly with passion and Lily just nodded dumbstruck, unable to look away from James.

"You really would die for them wouldn't you?" Lily asked, finally starting to realise just how deep their friendships really went.

"In a heartbeat." He replied earnestly, never breaking eye contact with her. They sat for a good while in a comfortable silence, just staring out at the lake that looked so beautiful in the dusk light.

"What's your favourite memory?" Lily broke the silence with her soft voice, penetrating James mind and bringing him back to her. Lily studied his face, a smile coming to her lips at the faraway dreamy look in James' eyes.

"I'm not sure exactly what my favourite memory is but I can tell you one of them. It was the first time I went to a Quidditch match." James eyes glazed over, he had obviously been transported back to that match. "I was seven at the time and had been begging my dad to take me to one for years. I suspect my mum knew what would happen after I had been, so tried to keep me away for as long as possible. But as soon as I was there, it was like...I can't describe the feeling that took over my body as I watched the players zooming across the pitch. It was...magical, for want of a better word. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before." He snapped back to reality, the excitement still burning in his eyes and a smile of pure joy on his lips.

"You really do love Quidditch don't you?" Lily smiled thoughtfully and James responded with a huge grin. "What's it like growing up in as a pureblood?"

James looked thoughtful, "Not that different from you, I guess. I mean we knew all about 'muggles' but it didn't really affect our lives. You would play...football?" Lily nodded a yes, smiling. "And we would play Quidditch. You played cards, we played exploding snap. Our lifestyles are basically the same though."

"Mmmm, must have been really cool growing up with magic though." She mused, making James let out a small chuckle.

Instantaneously, for no apparent reason, the heavens opened, dropping pellets of water on the happy pair. The first water droplets hit them with surprise, splashing on their warm arms with a refreshing coolness. Lily laughed and jumped up as it started pouring down. "I love the rain." Lily informed James, twirling around, letting the water soak through her school shirt as she laughed happily. James grinned, his heart almost bursting with happiness at the scene. James caught her hand, lacing her fingers in his as they twirled across the soggy grass, laughing their heads off.

"C'mon before you catch a cold." James smiled warmly, eyeing Lily goosepimply arms. Lily just laughed sweetly at him and took off running, not realising that her hand was still entwined with James as their skipped across the grounds.


	27. Marauder fun

**Heyyyyy:D So here's the next chapter, I hope it was worth the wait. I hope everybody is having an awesome summer, if you're in school or have already finished:D**

**Spanish proverb: A life without a friend is like death without a witness. **

**Disclaimer-Have we been through this before? Nope, not mine. **

Marauder fun

"Lily, really? Hogwarts a history..._again_!" James sighed in a mock disappointed way as he lent down from behind the couch. Lily couldn't stop a smile creeping onto her lips as James' unruly hair tickled her face. "I would have thought you could find something a little more boring to do with your Saturday night." James teased, plucking the book out of Lily's hands and putting it into his bag.

"Hey giv..." Lily's sentence trailed off when she turned to face James' and became aware their lips were mere centimetres apart. James gulped loudly as he realised the same thing but was unable to tear his eyes away from her soft pink lips. James was sure their faces were slowly closing the distance and were about to touch. James jerked back at the last minute, knowing what a kiss would do to their relationship. _Destroy it._

James jerked back with an unreadable look on his face and hurt and rejection quickly flashed across Lily's face. Too quickly for James to notice and his eyes were squeezed closed as he tried not to regret what he had just done. James cleared his throat uncomfortably while Lily tried to cool the blush of humiliation that lit up her cheeks.

"So I, ummm, thought you could come and hang out with me and the Marauders?" James mumbled, avoiding looking at her face. Lily bit her lip and debated on whether she was too embarrassed. After a brief moment James turned to her with a normal, friendly smile, void of all awkwardness or embarrassment. "Come on Lils, it will be fun." He promised, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. Lily smiled tentatively back, attempting to follow his lead in forgetting about the almost kiss they shared. Lily knew James spoke the truth; times with the Marauders were always fun. "Sure," She agreed, taking James extended hand to help her up.

James entwined their fingers with a smile and shouldered Lily's bag as well as his own. They made their way up the stairway to the Marauder's dorm, not noticing the outraged students that were already running off to tell their friends what they had seen.

"You know I've never actually been in your dorm in all our seven years here," Lily observed, tracing the big M on the doorway and the nicknames carved underneath it.

James shot her a grin, "You guys decent?" James called through the door, thoughtfully making sure his friends didn't scar Lily for life.

"Well we're all just parading around starkers like we usually do. Oh wait Padfoot's wearing a feather bower-it's alright." Remus shouted back, his voice accompanied by Sirius' bark of laughter.

"Don't worry, I'm also wearing some stockings!" Sirius laughed and James pushed the door open with a wide smile. "Lily flower!" Sirius exclaimed, leaping up and giving Lily a huge bear hug.

"Sirius why are your eyebrows singed off?" Lily said, muffling her laugh in James' chest, as Sirius dived into the bathroom, uttering a shriek when he saw he didn't have any eyebrows.

"Exploding snap." Remus grinned, gathering up the cards and dumping them onto a bed.

Lily looked around the room, concluding it was not much different to the ones in her old dorm. It had 4 beds, 2 wardrobes, 3 chest of drawers, 4 bedside tables and various trunks and boxes scattered across the room. There was also not a square inch of clean floor, in fact Lily couldn't even see the floor because it was piled with sweet wrappers, clothes, text books and goodness knows what else.

Lily's eyes slid to the bed and she tried to guess whose was whose. The bed closest to the door was Remus'. Lily was confident because it was the only bed that was properly and had a neat pile of books on the bedside table and one flipped open on the bed. The bed furthest away from the door was Peter's, Lily correctly guessed. It was covered in sweets and chocolate, many of which had stained the bed sheets, probably because Peter had slept on them. Lily concluded the two beds in the middle must be James' and Sirius'. Hung above both beds were Gryffindor banners and pictures of the Marauder's. There were also pictures of the 'Marauder's greatest pranks' as the sign labelled them. Lily let out a small chuckle and as he eyes wandered she noticed various pictures of very scantily dressed women on straddling motorbikes or sitting in cars. Lily gagged from them that that must be Sirius' bed; she shook her head from the predictability of him. When her gaze slid left, she uttered a short gasp. There, amongst some newspaper cutting and many pictures of Quidditch players and brooms, was a picture of herself. She recognised the picture immediately from being at the Christmas ball last year. She was outside in the courtyard, Lily remembered walking out there to get some air, and was gazing dreamily into the distance, a serene smile playing on her lips as she twirled a piece of hair around her fingers. Lily didn't remember anyone following her out there, or taking a picture of her for that matter. Lily was sure she should be angry but she couldn't help but feel slightly touched that James had a picture of her on his wall.

James heard Lily's gasp and groaned as he realised she was staring at the picture of herself he had taken. "I thought you had taken that down!" James hissed at Sirius, his cheeks burning with embarrassment as Lily tuned into the conversation.

"Don't you remember mate? You put a permanent sticking charm on that picture." Sirius smirked as James groaned again and Lily turned to him with a sly smile.

"A permanent sticking charm?" She questioned, looking very much like she was trying not to laugh.

"I didn't want Sirius, or the others, to take it down or threaten me with it." He muttered, refusing to look at Lily and choosing instead to shoot poisonous glares at his sniggering friends.

Lily laid a hand on his arm but her eyes were twinkling with laughter as she silently teased him, "I think it's cute." James groaned again and buried his face in his hands, dragging Lily over to where Remus was clearing a space on the floor. "So what are we doing?"

"I was thinking strip poker!" Sirius grinned, slowly dragging his gaze up Lily's body and leering in an appreciative way. James punched Sirius hard in the gut, making him topple over. "I was kidding Prongs," Sirius groaned and James pulled him back up, flashing him a grin to show all was forgiven.

Lily raised her eyebrows at the pair, "I'll never get how guys can go from beating each other up one second, to be best mates and hugging the next."

James shrugged, "We don't dwell on unimportant things like girls do-no offence-we don't see the point in being oversensitive and not forgiving things said in the heat of the moment, when they were obviously not meant."

"Girls can be oversensitive," Lily agreed. She arched her eyebrows at the Marauders when they stared at her with wide eyes.

"Did Lily Evans just agree with you Prongs?" Sirius said with a wide smirk, pretending to be shocked as he nudged James.

"I think she did! Has hell frozen over?" James teased, recalling a memory from 5th year where Lily claimed she and 'potter' would agree on something when hell froze over.

"Haha," Lily muttered, "Laugh all you want."

"Oh I'm planning to," Sirius smirked gleefully, "Wait till the school gets a whiff of this! I think Minnie almost went into Cardiac Arrest when I told her you two were going to be friends. And now you're agreeing with James! I think you're losing it pretty flower,"

Lily rolled her eyes and swatted Sirius playfully, "I'm surprised you know what Cardiac Arrest is," Lily replied in a slightly impressed voice.

"Although dear Sirius tries to fight it, he only has to hear something once and it stays in his head forever. Lucky git," He said with a grin, tapping Sirius head for dramatic effect.

"Awww don't be jealous Moony, you can't help not being as clever as me." Sirius grinned, pulling an unwilling Remus into a hug. "Do-"

Peter barged in the door with cheeks flushed with excitement and interrupted Sirius with bright eyes. "It's done! It's all set for tonight's practice-they'll come..." Peter trailed off s James coughed loudly and bobbed his head towards Lily in a warning. "Err, hey Lily."

"Hi Peter," Lily responded in a bemused manner as she watched him get rapidly more nervous and twitchy. "So if I don't know what the prank is, I can't tell you off." Lily said as the Marauder's held their breaths.

Once again the Marauder's jaw dropped at the total un-Lily like behaviour. "Who are you and what have you done with Lily Evans!?" James asked half seriously, not wanting to believe she was really not going to turn them in.

Lily shrugged, a half smile playing on her lips, "I guess a few harmless pranks here and there aren't the end of the world. Some of them are even a little funny." Lily admitted, a small blush gracing her cheeks.

"I think I'm in love with you!" Sirius declared with a Cheshire grin as he pulled Lily into a huge bear hug and practically crushed her to his chest. Lily beamed at Sirius, her smile only diminishing slightly when she realised James was staring at her with an undecipherable look in his eyes. She offered him a grin and he shook his head, a small smile curving his lips upwards.

~*~

Alice nudged Lily, "Is it just me or are the Marauder's unusually fidgety today?"

"Mmmm," Lily agreed through a mouthful of potato. In fact the whole school and noticed and were all waiting on the edges of their seats to see what was about to happen. The atmosphere of the Great Hall was one of excitement and anticipation. Everyone was waiting to see who was about to be pranked and the bets were on Slytherin.

Suddenly enormous grins burst onto the faces of the Marauders and faint shouts and chants were heard approaching. As they got closer everyone could hear the words:

_We love Gryffindor, Gryffindor's the best! Slytherin's full of losers and deatheaters make up the rest. We wish we were in Gryffindor so they could teach us how to dress. If they taught us how to read as well we wouldn't be in this mess. Out of all the mighty Gryffindors there are four we all adore. Geniuses Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs have led us through this door. We cannot forget dear McGonnagal who inspired us in this parade. Because frankly, if it was up to us, it is her we'd all serenade. Go Gryffindor! Gryffindor rules! We love the mighty lions who know how to duel! WE ARE GRYFFINDOR, HEAR US ROAR!!!!!!!!_

The Great Hall exploded into a mixture of laughter, howls and shouting as the Slytherin Quidditch team galloped through the door. They were all dressed in lion suits with 'Go Gryffindor' banners stuck to their fronts. Their broomsticks were charmed to flash gold and red repeatedly and they were straddling them like they were horses as they galloped up and down the aisles.

The contrast to the murderous expressions on the Slytherin's faces to their cheerful and happy voices as they sung the song was too much for the Marauder's as they fell off their seats because they were laughing so hard. The whole hall had erupted into hysterical laughter as they pointed at the Slytherin's still parading around the room. The volume was only increased by the furious Slytherin's who looked like they were planning the Marauder's death sentences, and indeed some probably were.

"Silence," Dumbledore announced, the laughter dying to everyone's lips but resurfacing as they saw the twinkle in his eye and the smile on his lips. "Could Mr's Lupin, Pettigrew, Black and Potter please see Proffesor Mgonnagall in her office right now to discuss the punishments for this inappropriate prank." He winked at James who was laughing at how unserious Dumbledore sounded; he turned to admire their handiwork as the Slytherins remained frozen in the spots Dumbledore had immobilized them in, their brooms still flashing Gryffindor colours.

The Marauders rose, to follow Proffesor McGonagal, and were met with deafening applause and proud comments as they sauntered down the aisle. Many Gryffindors actually stood up to pat them on the back and to smirk at the Slytherins. As James passed Lily he threw her a wink and mouthed 'that was for you'. Lily snuck a glance at the Slytherins and couldn't help a huge grin creeping onto her lips. _It was for her. _

**And it's song time again:D who knows what song this is? It's so unbelievably awesome, I love it:**

**I hung up the phone tonight, something happened for the first time deep inside, it was a rush what a rush**

'**Cos the possibility that you'd ever feel the same way about me, it's just too much just too much**

**Why do I do keep running from the truth? All I ever think about is you**

**You've got me hypnotised so mesmerized, and I just go to know**

**Do you ever think when you're all alone, all that we could be, where this thing can go? Am I crazy or falling in love? Is it real or just another crush? **

**Do you catch a breath when I look at you? Are you holding back like the way I do? 'Cause I'm trying and trying to walk away but I know this crush ain't going away...**

**xx**


	28. Bells, Balls and Christmas halls

_Sorry it's been so long but FINALLY here it is :) _

_Just wanted to say congratulations to Kevin Jonas on his engagement! I'm really happy for him :) It's kind of belated but oh well :) _

_So, because it's been so long I decided to make this one extra long for you all. There's a surprise revelation in this chapter which I thought was quite exciting so tell me what you think of it…enjoy!_

_Disclaimer-nothing you recognise belongs to me,sadly. _

**Bells, balls and Christmas halls**

James fought with his closing eyelids so he could observe Lily from his vantage point, upside down on the sofa. A slither of light flickered through the window and illuminated half of Lily's pale face, which showed signs of her lack of sleep. Dark purple circles were evident under her eyes and her, so pale they were almost translucent, eyelids flickered continuously as Lily battled to keep them open as well. James racked his thoroughly picked brain for a solution out of this situation but, as usual Lily seemed to have beaten him to it. Her full lips curved into a victorious smile and when she raised her eyes to meet James' they were alight with relief and triumph.

"A winter wonderland." Were the words that came out of her lips, laced with longing and anticipation that had begun to build.

"It's perfect." James agreed, with a blinding smile as Lily's stance relaxed and a smile lit up her face.

"Thank you," She whispered, briefly closing her eyes while she slouched into the sofa. "It only took us most of the night but we've got a theme and the decorations can be arrange accordingly and oh, James, it's going to be beautiful." Lily beamed, unintentionally causing James' heart to flip over.

"Yes," He agreed softly, staring at Lily with a warm smile. As James smiled at her, his attention solely on Lily, she felt a strange stirring in her stomach. James eyes fluttered closed behind his glasses, that were slipping down his nose and Lily continued to trace the contours of his face visually. There was no denying that James Potter was absolutely gorgeous, even at this early hour in the morning when his hair was like a birds nest and his clothes were rumpled from spending the night in them, he still looked like a male model. Lily wondered if it was wrong to admire how beautiful one of you best friends was. Because that's what he was; one of her best friends. Lily couldn't believe it but it had taken less than a term for James and her to go from enemies to best friends.

"So, we need to think up decorations quickly and then we can give it to the pr-prefects," Lily yawned, stretching, "Prefects tomorrow." She picked up her quill, writing 'Winter Wonderland' across the top of the parchment. She glanced at James expectantly, only to find the Head boy asleep on the sofa. She sighed, rolling her eyes, debating whether to wake him up. She didn't particularly want to do this by herself, so decided, she picked up a crumpled piece of parchment and threw it at him, nearly knocking his glasses off.

"Huh…what?" James started, his hands quickly adjusting his glasses and he leant forwards, resting his elbows on his knees, "Oh, sorry, just drifted off for a few seconds, carry on." Lily shook her head with a smile, "You need to come up with a few decorations." Her eyes flickered across his face as he rubbed his eyes wearily, "Um, how about we charm the walls white…and get Christmas trees covered with snow." Lily nodded, scribbling it down, "And?" James glanced up at Lily, who despite looking tired, her red hair falling out of her bun, was still looking at him with her emerald green eyes bright and alert, "Love hearts."

"Love hearts?" Lily asked, suddenly confused, "What's that got to do with Christmas?" James paused, "Uh…I was thinking Love hearts and snowflakes…it's supposed to be a wonderland, right?" He ran a hand through his hair nervously, "Um, they can be falling from little angels that fly around…" He trailed off with a frown. Lily shrugged slightly, writing it down despite her doubts. It was better to have something than nothing, "How about ice sculptures?" James nodded, a grin forming on his face, "That's a brilliant idea! We can have one at each table. I was thinking, then after that, we should just have the normal streamers and banners, but maybe charm them blue and white?"

"Yeah, yeah, keep going," Lily encouraged, the quill flying across the piece of parchment so fast was almost a blur for James.

"Umm, well, we could have whit rose, charmed to sparkle, in bouquets at both ends of the tables. Wait, how are the tables being arranged?"

"In a circle around the edge." Lily answered without looking up.

"Ok, well we could," James rubbed his neck self consciously as Lily waited expectantly for the next idea. He cleared his throat, "We could have an arch as you enter the great hall-and doves can be standing on top of it-and that guy, the fifth year-Sam Hutchinson-he could take pictures of the couples as they come in."

Lily looked up, "That's actually a really good idea James. Do you think Sam will do it?"

"I'll go ask him tomorrow, well today, if you want." James volunteered.

"That would be, really useful actually, thanks James." Lily shot him an appreciative smile and he ducked his head, a mild blush appearing from her warm smile. "Well it's really late, I think I'm going to head off to bed and we can finish this in the morning." Lily stretched as she stood up and gathered up her things before walking slowly to the stairs. She turned when she was half way up, "Sweet dreams, James."

"Night Lils," He replied, his lips curved into what seemed to be a permanent smile.

~*~

"So…any other ideas?" James asked, eying the prefects in front of him. The list he held in one hand was at least 10 inches long; more than enough to hand in to Dumbledore to approve. The prefects all shook their heads, exchanging looks. James clapped his hands, rolling up the parchment, "Good, prefects dismissed…oh, Sam? Could you wait for a moment?" James quickly shuffled up all the parchment, throwing the scrap parchment into the bin and handing the parchment to Lily, "Here, could you take it up to Professor Dumbledore? I'll be up in a second." Lily nodded, tucking a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear and smiling at the two of them, she left.

"So, will you do the photos for the couples coming in? I mean, we won't make you stay the whole night, I know you'll probably have someone waiting for you." He grinned roguishly at the younger boy who although still had a boyish face, was definitely a looker. Sam rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, flushing slightly, "Um, sure. Is that all?" He glanced up at the head boy, still slightly in awe of the infamous Marauder. James nodded, standing up straight, "Yeah, that's it." He watched as Sam walked out to join his friends and sighed, looking around the room. He'd never so much expected to have to take this much responsibility. Throwing away the last snapped quill, he quickly headed up to Dumbledore's office after Lily.

James had caught Lily up by the time they reached the stone gargoyle and she turned around sharply when James' hand brushed hers making her fingers tingle. "He said yes," James answered her unasked question and taking her hand in the pretence of helping her onto the moving staircase but not letting go. Lily bit her lip but let her hand rest in James', even though part of her brain was screaming at her that it was wrong and that she shouldn't like the feel of his much larger calloused hand around hers. Lily snuck a glance at James and he was staring off into the distance, his eyebrows pulled together in a slightly nervous way. Lily raised her hand to knock on Dumbledore's office but James, his excellent Quidditch reflexes once again being put on show, caught her hand before it had even touched the dark oak of the doors.

"Lil," James kept hold of Lily's hand and twisted his body so they were facing each other; he was gently clutching both of her hands while staring into the bottomless depths of her emerald eyes. "Do-will you go to the dance with me?" James stuttered out, holding his breath indefinably as an immeasurable amount of time seemed to pass while his heart waited on her answer.

When Lily answered she spoke slowly, watching James very carefully, "As friends? Or as…something else?"

That was the golden question. The question that James knew could indirectly change the course of his whole life. It was in that moment that James realised all his efforts had been wasted, he was not over Lily. He never would be able to get over her. She was his light house; the only thing that kept him from crashing into the rocks. He _needed_ her. He _loved_ her. He loved her more than anything and knew that, if it made her happy, he would stay away from her forever. It would practically kill him to do it, he had tried before, but if it was what she wanted, what Lily truly needed, he would do it. But maybe, just maybe it would be easier this time. Last time, he thought Lily could still fall in love with him, he thought once she saw past everything she would love him as much as he loved her. But this time, if she still didn't love him, James knew it was the end. He would have to give up and accept his fate; to be alone for the rest of his life. A small part of James told him that he wouldn't be able to survive it, not after being her best friend and being _so_ close to winning her heart. The rational side of him said it was better to be Lily's best friend forever and hold a small bit of her love that was completely platonic, than not be in her life at all because he couldn't control his feelings for her. But then again, when had James ever listened to his rational side when it came to Lily?

"As-"

Dumbledore, as always with his impeccable timing, threw open the huge oak doors with a wide smile. James dropped Lily's hands immediately, trying his best not to glare at his headmaster, though James suspected that he wasn't doing such a good job judging from the sparkle of mischief in Dumbledore's light eyes.

"Liquorice bat?" He asked with an air of innocence, offering Lily and James a bowl of fluttering miniature bats. They both shook their heads and walked into the oval shaped room, nodding at the portraits of previous headmasters as they were greeted. Dumbledore shrugged and carefully popped one in his mouth before placing the bowl on an impressive looking eagle stand at the entrance to his office.

James took a place in his chair and gestured to Lily, who was hovering next to him, to take Sirius' chair. She daintily sat down, as if afraid she would break it and placed the scroll of parchment on Dumbledore's desk. His eyes flickered to it but he ignored it and turned to survey his heads with a half smile on his face.

"This is our list, sir." Lily murmured, trying not to think about what had just happened outside. She pushed it forwards. Dumbledore hummed to himself as he scanned it slowly, apparently oblivious to the tension between Lily and James. James tapped his long fingers on the table, avoiding Lily's eyes completely.

"This is excellent." Dumbledore finally smiled, his eyes twinkling infuriatingly. James nodded, "So we can start with the decorations, right?" Dumbledore nodded, standing up to stroke his phoenix Fawkes, who was stretching his beautiful wings, a soft trill echoing through the room, "Yes of course, send some of the information down to the House elves so they can help, but otherwise, yes. Tell all prefects that they have the two days before the ball off for helping with the decorations." He turned around, his fingers brought together to create a steeple, "I think that shall be all. Good evening, Lily, James."

The two heads stood up, exiting the office. James took a deep breath, hands thrust in pockets. He sighed, ready to speak, "Lily, I…"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention." The two heads spun around to see Dumbledore, "The two heads must always go together; it's tradition. I hope that doesn't cause any inconvenience." He smiled, humming as he strolled back into his Office leaving two slightly shocked heads.

~*~

"Lily, Lils, wait up!" James shouted as he used his long legs to propel him down the hall to where Lily was walking to class. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He asked, running a hand through his ebony locks in a slightly nervous manner. This immediately put Lily's guard up and she thought back to the conversation they were having outside Dumbledore's office. She followed him out into the courtyard, where they were no longer in danger of being caught in the stampede of people moving about the castle.

Lily hopped onto the stone wall and leant against the pillar as she waited, with nervous anticipation, for James to start talking. "I can't come to the Prefect meeting tonight-I have detention." Lily frowned; this was clearly not what she had been expecting.

"Ummm, yeah, ok, I can handle it." She stuttered out, feeling her cheeks warm up with a blush.

"Did I hear the word detention?" Sirius shouted across the courtyard, with an infectious grin on his face. "Why Lily flower, I'm surprised, I didn't know you had it in you." He exclaimed in an extremely fake high pitched voice which Lily was sure was meant to be an imitation of someone. Who though, she wasn't quite sure.

Lily whacked him as he bounded over to sit next to her, "Not me you oaf, James."

"Jamesie-kins!" Sirius turned to his best friend with a blinding smile and pulled him into a headlock with allowed him to ruffle James' hair.

"There may have been an incident with Flitwick and urr exploding his desk," James mumbled, his voice muffled from still being in Sirius' headlock.

Sirius let him go with a pleased smile, "Hang on a sec, I'll be back. Is your detention for today Prongs?" James nodded and Lily stared after Sirius with a bewildered expression. Seconds later they heard a crash followed by shouts and more crashes. James shook his head in amusement and laughed while Lily bore a slightly alarmed look.

"Detention Black!" Came the scream from inside the castle, undoubtable from a teacher. A grin spread across James face as Sirius bounded back outside, a Cheshire cat grin on his handsome face.

"Looks like we'll be spending detention together Jamsie."


	29. Massage?

_Kia Ora my lovely reviewers :) _

_How are your summers going? So I feel like I spent too much time saying sorry for not updating but I do have a reason..._

_My laptop got a virus so I wasn't allowed to use it and I had half the chapter written already. So I wrote the other half on the other laptop but then had to wait till I could put the pieces together. Anyways there's a little bit of James and Lily fluff that I hope you like. _

_Lots of love,_

_Shrimpy xx_

Disclaimer: Nu-uh. Not mine.

**Masseuse**

"Connor McDoogle asked me to the winter ball!" Marlene shrieked, throwing open the door to her dorm and skipping through. Her blue eyes shined brightly as she surveyed her best friends who were scattered across the dorm looking up at her with ecstatic smiles.

Riley was the first one to jump to her feet with an excited squeal and envelope Marlene in a hug. "I'm so please for you Mare!" Riley squealed, "You've liked Connor forever!"

"I know! He said he thinks I'm really cute and he'd like to take me out to dinner sometime as well!" Marlene grinned and was met with various squeals and 'awww's'. Marlene sat cross legged on the floor with a sickly happy smile on her radiant face, "So who are you guys all going to the ball with?"

"Frank of course," Alice lifted her head from the fashion magazine she was reading to smile brightly at Marlene.

Marlene turned to Riley, "Sirius I guess, but we haven't really talked about it. Besides I find balls really boring..." Riley trailed off with a shrug, admiring her newly painted purple toenails when she looked down.

"You have to come! Tell her Lils," She turned to the red headed girl who was quietly observing the conversation while looking miles away. "Earth to Lily," She waved her hand in front of Lily's face and her emerald orbs contracted, her gaze snapping to Marlene and then Riley in quick succession.

"You have to come to the ball. I'm organising it so you have to come and see how it turns out. Plus Sirius will want to go." Lily persuaded.

"Sirius will have to ask first." Riley grumbled but Lily took that as a sign of defeat and flashed her teeth at her friend.

"What about you Lils?" Marlene's curious gaze landed on Lily and everyone else's followed.

Lily settled back onto the bed and sighed gently. "This is what I came to talk to you about," Her eyes flickered around the room and she spotted Gillian, one of the other roommates, writing an essay but clearly listening. She liked Gillian and she wasn't known for gossiping, as she was rather a quiet girl, but Lily didn't feel comfortable spilling her feelings. However Lily really wanted to talk to her best friends and decided it was harmless.

"James asked me to the ball." She offered and her friends' faces showed a mixture of emotions, even Gillian glanced up from her essay to observe Lily with quizzical eyes.

"I thought he was over you!? Are you angry? As a date or as friends?" Marlene questioned, her eyes lighting up with the opportunity to discuss James and Lily.

"That's the problem! I don't know," Lily moaned, "Dumbledore interrupted us before he could tell me if it was a date or just friends going together."

"Well how did he say it?" Marlene pressed, her eyes glinting at the thought of James still carrying a torch for Lily.

"I don't know!" Lily moaned again, shoving her plait back over her shoulder. When she leant down her plait fell forward and she started untying her it, yanking her hair roughly in a frustrated manner when it got tangled. "He seemed...serious. Maybe. I was distracted!" She added when Marlene shot her an exasperated look and Alice groaned under her breath.

"What did he do? Tell us exactly and everything leading up to it. Don't leave anything out." Marlene demanded, scooting closer to Lily in a slightly intimidating manner.

"You're making it sound like a murder." Lily muttered under her breath. Marlene glared daggers at her while Gillian shot her an amused smile.

"Well I came out of the Prefects meeting and was walking down the hall when he caught up to me. He-"

"-Why was he behind you?" Marlene demanded as she interrupted Lily's speech.

"Because he was asking Sam to take pictures for the winter balls." Lily answered as she swept her wavy hair into a ponytail and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Ohh that sounds-"

"-Focus Alice." Marlene said sharply, "Carry on," She motioned to Lily to carry on talking and she did so with a shake of her head.

"James took my hand to help me onto the moving staircase but then he didn't let go. And then as I was about to knock on Dumbledore's office he took me other hand..."

"That strongly indicates he likes to Lils. I mean he was in love with you, it's pretty hard to get over that. He probably isn't." Riley said bluntly, taking a break from painting her fingernails the same shade of electric purple as her toes.

Lily stared at her in shock and Marlene and Alice wondered if her words were true. "But since we've been friends he's held my hand. It doesn't mean anything!" Lily protested, her cheeks flushing at the thought. Riley just raised her eyebrow in a slightly sceptical look and carried on painting her fingernails. "It doesn't mean anything right?"

Marlene and Alice looked edgily at each other before Marlene decided to speak. She made Lily forget her question by asking Lily one that would have her pondering about it for weeks, "The real question is, did you want it to mean something?"

~*~

Lily bid her friends goodnight and walked into her common room wondering why James hadn't been at dinner. Lily was even more frustrated because the Marauder's weren't at all worried about where he was and wouldn't tell her why he wasn't there, Lily wasn't sure if they even knew. She rolled her eyes as she saw the common room empty but James's stuff all over it. She picked up a couple of his textbooks and a sock with a wrinkled nose and climbed the stairs to his room. Lily didn't bother knocking as she pushed his door open revealing James with his head in his hands, sitting on his bed in the midst of thousands of bits of paper.

"What's wrong?" Lily cried softly, balancing his books on a pile of others and hurrying over to his bed. He lifted his face which seemed to clear of angst the moment Lily walked into the room and opened his arms. Lily didn't hesitate to go into them and snuggled against his warm body as she made herself comfortable on his bed. James tightened his grip and gave a blissful sigh that made Lily start to think about what Riley had said earlier. Was it possible that James wasn't over her? That their embrace meant something completely different to James than it did to Lily?

"What's wrong James?" Lily asked again, pulling her head off his chest so she could study his face. Her troubled eyes pierced his and made him feel guilty for worrying her unnecessarily. James opened his mouth, "Andy Stevens has got Ganeic Fever and there's no remedy and it last months, so he won't be able to play in the match against Ravenclaw in three weeks so I need a new keeper!"

Lily rolled her eyes at James' agitated form and almost laughed at herself for not realising it would be Quidditch related. "I'm sure you'll find somebody," Lily replied, not knowing what to say to the clearly troubled boy. James slid a hand through his hair, unintentionally making Lily's hand inch towards his hair which was looking very enticing in its ruffled state. James shifted Lily off his lap but didn't let her escape by keeping an arm around her waist so she was pressed against his side. He continued sorting through papers and roughly crossing off names with a quill which Lily was pretty sure was hers. James groaned again and let go of Lily abruptly, letting his head fall into his hands. Lily, once again not knowing what to do, hesitantly put her hands on James shoulders, making him freeze, and started rubbing them.

James lifted his head and gave a low sound of contentment that caused Lily to shiver inside. "Take off your shirt," Lily ordered shakily, not quite believing that she was giving James a massage voluntarily, "And lie down." James did both quickly and without hesitation. When he was settled on his bed Lily stood up gingerly and climbed onto James back so she was straddling his waist. James shivered for more than one reason when Lily placed her cold hands on his back and ran them lightly up his spine. James clamped his mouth shut and held his body rigid as Lily gently rubbed his shoulder.

"Relax James," Lily whispered against his neck; her hair tickling his chin and face, allowing him to smell her vanilla scented shampoo and feel her soft curls brushing his skin. James relaxed his shoulders a little and under Lily gentle fingers and coaxing whispers he gave himself up completely to her.

James's muscles quivered as she started rubbing circles and massaging his sore muscles. James uttered a low groan of pleasure as Lily worked out a knot just under his shoulder blades and something stirred in her stomach at the sound. Lily drifted into a dream world, as she worked out knots in James' back, not unlike James'.

James was in a stupor.

He was in utter bliss.

The girl of his dreams was currently giving him a massage while straddling his waist, a fact that was making it really hard for James to keep his thoughts PG. All he could think about was her creamy, shapely legs that were wrapped around his waist pinning him to the bed, her soft hands that were caressing his back and shoulders...

James groaned loudly again and Lily noticing his hands were fisted around his sheets. Lily tapped her fingers against the sensitive skin of James' neck and he shivered-something that delighted Lily for a reason unknown to her. She glanced at the clock and realised it was already eleven.

She spent a moment wondering where the time had gone; surely she hadn't been giving James a massage for almost 2 hours, had she? Lily stared guilty down at James' torso knowing she had spent the majority of the time fantasising about those muscles and drooling over them. She swung a leg over James body and slid off the bed, making James lift his head in a sleepy state off confusion from the abrupt stop.

Lily was saved from saying something from James checking the time, "Is it that late!? I was meant to go to the library ages ago!"

Lily cocked an eyebrow, still not used to the studious, responsible James. "Library?"

"Yeah I need to get that book-the one for that essay in Herbology-I know nothing about Quibtales or their properties!" James sat up and rubbed his eyes, keeping them closed for a brief moment while he savoured the relaxing aftermath of his massage.

Lily smiled, "I got that book out yesterday-you can borrow it. But tomorrow morning ok, you need your sleep."

James got up at pulled Lily to him, wrapping his arms around her and crushing her to his chest. "You're an angel Lils, truly you are." Lily beamed into his chest and fisted her hands around his t-shirt as she tried to abolish any breathing space between them.

"And that massage! If you weren't such an amazing witch, I'd tell you to go home and become a massager."

"A masseuse you mean." Lily smiled, "Thanks, I guess."

"Seriously Lil, you have the magic touch." James flashed his teeth at Lily as he finally released her. "Do you get it...magic touch, magic..."

"I get it," Lily laughed, shaking her mane of hair at his childishness.

"Goodnight James."

"Night Lils." James walked her to the door and propped himself against his doorframe to watch her disappear into her room. She turned into her doorway and smiled softly at James, twirling a strand of red hair and looking at him with those expressive jade pools.

"G'night," She repeated.

"Night Lils," James responded, keeping his eyes trained on her gorgeous face as she gave him one last reluctant smile and sashayed into her room. "Wait Lils," James called, still waiting in his doorframe. Lily appeared a second later, "Thanks,"

_-_

_So...? :) I tried hard to make it interesting so I hope you liked it. I also wanted to say I'm looking for some new fanfics to read, so drop me a review if you have one. And it doesn't have to be harry potter. _

_Anyways love you guys xx_


	30. The invisibility cloak

_Bonjour mon cheries. Haha lol when I was typing that the computer decided I meant cherried :D _

_So it's my last day of summer and I have nothing ready for school but I wanted to get this chapter out. This is moving the story on a bit because I think it's dragging out to much. It's going to be a hundred chapters before I know it! So this is dedicated to my little brother, even though he doesn't know it, because it was his first day at secondary school today._

_Disclaimer-I wish._

The invisibility cloak 

"James is that you?" Lily appeared at the top of the stairs and surveyed the common room, her hand resting on her wand she had jammed into her pocket at last minute. "James?" Lily asked again, hugging her cloak closer while advancing a couple of steps.

James froze at the sound of Lily's voice and cursed under his breath, wondering how long it would take for Lily to go back to bed. He turned around silently in a crouch, hoping the cloak wouldn't show his ankles. He looked up at Lily; she looked extremely vulnerable, positioned at the top of the stairs in her pink pyjamas with a cloak, obviously hurriedly thrown over the top. Although she looked shattered-a result of the late night patrolling and mountain of homework James suspected-her body was alert and rigid, her hand in her pocket resting on what James hoped was her wand. He made a split second decision.

"Yeah it's me." James pulled off his cloak to Lily's astonishment and draped it over his arm, making it disappear. He strolled forward and met Lily at the bottom of the stairs.

Lily visibly relaxed once James had taken off his cloak and took her hand off her wand. No longer anxious about who was in their common room she offered him a small smile which he returned. "What were you doing?" She questioned, just wanting him to state the obvious.

"Sneaking out." James flashed her a lazy grin while he propped himself up on the wall, only millimetres away from Lily. Lily's body reacted in a strange way at the sight of her favourite grin; her cheeks started to flush for no apparent reason and she began to feel very self conscious. For an unknown reason Lily also felt no anger at James' revelation, something that was unheard of.

Lily decided to put off the confrontation she knew they must have, after all he was breaking rules. "What is that?" Lily asked softly, her face full of awe for what she suspected it was.

"An invisibility cloak," James said proudly, handing it to her to touch. Lily stroked it in wonder and slipped her fingers underneath it, grinning as they disappeared from her line of vision.

"How did you get one of these? There's only a few in the world,"

"A family heirloom." James explained with a smile playing on his lips, "It's been in the Potter family for hundreds of years. It's always passed down to the first son, and since I'm an only child...I get to keep it, at least until my son is old enough."

"That is so amazing! I wonder...what other family heirlooms do you have?" Lily questioned, her eyes glinting while she weighed the heavy lining of the cloak in her hand.

"None, nearly as cool as this one." James replied easily with another grin, "Would you like to try it on?" James offered, seeing the tell tale signs on her face.

"Would you mind?" Lily bit her lips, trying to keep the excitement off her face. James didn't reply just placed the cloak around her shoulders and watched her perfect body vanish from view. He scanned the space where she had previously been and made his way over to the mirror, guessing where she was. He reached out into thin air hoping to catch the material, instead her heard Lily's musical laugh informing him he had just missed her. He grinned as the game began; James following Lily's laugh around the room, running at her in an attempt to catch her and laughing every time when she dodged him. After a while the room became silent and James pivoted on the spot, squinting his eyes as if it would help him find Lily. James tensed as he waited for her to pounce. The seconds ticked by and the smile dropped off his face as he anticipated the attack. Lily twirled her wand and muttered under her breath a stream of water hitting James straight in the face and knocking him backwards with the force.

"Gotcha," Lily grinned, pulling off the cloak and laughing with James as he shook his hair, spraying her with water like a dog. Lily let another giggle slip before drying James' clothes off, leaving only his face and hair wet. "You never told me where you were sneaking out to." Lily pointed out, handing the cloak back to James and surveying him with folded arms.

"It doesn't matter now anyway,"

"Why not?"

James stared at her with a confused expression, "Because you caught us,"

"Caught you doing what? All I saw you doing was walking across the common room, there's nothing wrong with that." Lily replied, inspecting her fingernails and then raising her eyes to James'. She winked conspiratorially at James and he was taken aback.

"You're letting me go?" James asked incredulously, his eyebrows so high they were almost touching his hairline.

"I didn't see anything," Lily smiled and made her way up the stairs until she heard footsteps behind her. She was engulfed by a bear hug from James as he lifted her off her feet. Both students' cheeks flushed red as they stayed with their arms wrapped around each other until James coughed awkwardly and decided to let go.

"Thanks Lils. Wait! Do you, uh, wanna come with us? We're going into Hogsmeade." James rubbed the back of his head nervously; half hoping she would say yes and the other half wanting her to say no.

"You know how to get into Hogsmeade!? How? Wait, never mind, I don't want to know. I may be loosening up but I don't think I can handle sneaking out of school in the middle of the night." Lily added, "Goodnight." Lily dismissed him, shutting her door before letting a smile creep onto her face.

"Night Lily," James whispered before throwing the cloak over his head and hurrying out of the door.

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"James!" Lily hissed, "Get out of bed! You've already missed the first period! Slughorn is furious! He sent me to go find you. GET OUT OF BED!" Lily yanked the duvet off James, blushing madly when she realised he was only in his boxers. She dragged his pillow away that he had been attempting to smother his head with.

"My head's about to burst Lils, have some sympathy." James groaned, cracking one eye open to stare at the fuming girl and promptly close it again.

"No, I will not! I let you out last night as a favour but I didn't expect you to get drunk! And now you're going to class or I'm telling Slughorn exactly what you were up to last night. Now get up!" Lily raged, chucking his pillow back at him, unfortunately missing his head by several inches but the message was received.

"Calm down Lils. Your screeching is killing my head." James moaned, snuggling into his pillow after having snagged it off the floor.

"James Potter if you are not downstairs and dressed in 5 minutes I am going to Slughorn!"

"Fine mum," James muttered under his breath as Lily vacated the room.

Her head popped back round the door, "What did you call me!?"

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James shuffled into the Great Hall, still hung over, to witness his best friend and girlfriend having a full out row in front of everyone. "What's going on?" James mumbled to Remus who was ignoring the couple by choosing to read his book instead.

"Sirius cheated on Riley. Well she thinks he did, dunno if it's true." James muttered something under his breath and put his face in his arms, trying to block out the chatter of the great hall and the arguing of his friends.

"You bastard! You cheated on me, with her. Jemma Greenwood! The world's biggest slut! How could you!" Riley screamed. Her hair was a falling out of the loose bun, the curls framing her face. Sirius was sure if they weren't arguing he would have told her how pretty she looked. Although she was pretty mad; her cheeks were flushed and her lips moist.

"I told you when I asked you out that I didn't know if I could commit. It was your choice!" Sirius shouted exasperated. He knew she was hurt but he couldn't control himself. It wasn't his fault she walked in on them.

"GOD I CAN'T STAND YOU! YOU'RE SUCH A PLAYER! IT'S SICK!" Riley screeched, "I CAN'T BELIEVE I TOLD YOU I LOVED YOU-I HATE YOU!"

"I never said I loved you back!" Sirius justified, his temper simmering as he fought to keep it under control.

"FINE. FINE! WE'RE OVER! YOU CAN GO BACK TO JEMMA NOW AND GET HIV!" She spat before storming out of the great hall.

Sirius sat down with a blank face and calmly started eating his meal, commenting to his friends on how good it was.

"Are you ok Padfoot?" Remus asked, putting down his book and sparing his friend a concerned glance. "You and Riley just broke up!" He pointed out when Sirius failed to answer.

"Of course I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Sirius replied, a bemused look crowding his features while he examined his anxious friends with a cool expression.

"You really liked her." James said, raising his head from the table for the first time since the argument ended.

"So?"

"Aren't you upset?" Peter chimed in.

"Nope." Sirius shovelled a fork full of mashed potato into his mouth and made a sigh of contentment. "So good."

"You should be." Remus said in a frustrated tone.

"Well I'm not."

"Sir-"

"-Just drop it!" Sirius eyes blazed as he glared at his friends before becoming more calm and continuing, "I'm a ladies man, a player. I do one night stands not girlfriends. I never thought I'd stay with Riley for as long as I did. We were just meant to be friend, nothing more, nothing less."

"Ok." James started to eat, diverting his attention from his friends to his favourite red head who was still mad at him.

"So Hogsmeade again tonight?"

James groaned.

_Good? Bad? Don't really care? Lol review please. Right so poll time; In your review write the letter:_

_A-If you think the story is being rushed._

_B-If you think the story is moving at the right pace._

_C-If you think I should hurry along the story._

_D-If you don't really care and hate my story :) Lol_


	31. The ball

_Hola mis amigos!!!!!!!!! Had my Spanish oral yesterday so my head is filled with el espanol. Sorry about this chapter I lost an almost finished version so wrote half of it again and it's been sitting on my computer so months. Ok so I have to say who has seen new moon!?!??!?!?!? I saw it yesterday and it is out of this world amazing!!! I am completely in love with it!!!!!!!!!! And I am officially in love with Taylor Lautner!!!All those shirtless scenes-woooooo:) Haha but seriously go watch it!!! So amazing:D _

_So on with the story-enjoy chicas xx_

_Disclaimer-Don't down anything:P_

**The ball**

Lily reached the bottom step and paused, eyes locked in combat with James. Her heart skipped a beat as he extended his hand and she took it, letting him guide her out of the way of the staircase. They stopped in front of the fire and turned to stare at each other, neither knowing what to say.

"Lily," James breathed, pressing his warm lips briefly to Lily's hand, "You look beautiful, truly stunning."

Lily looked into James' eyes and saw the sincerity shining through them. "Thank you. You look very…handsome in your suit." She smiled and looked him over again; her eyes trailing from his expensively clad feet up his trouser legs and his crisp white shirt-finished off with a black bow tie-until she reached his face again; her breath catching in her throat as she gazed up at the beautiful man who was hers for the evening. "You clean up well," Lily smiled, impulsively stroking the smooth black silk of his jacket.

James cleared his throat, an unusual shy smile taking a hold of his features. "Thank you." James offered Lily his arm and she put her hand through it, lifting up her dress with the other and exposing her sparkling silver stilettos. They walked slowly out of the common room in silence when James stopped them. "I forgot your corsage!" He moaned, distress clouding his features as he tugged at his ebony locks in frustration. "Wait here I'll be right back," James dropped Lily's hand and darted back down the corridor leaving Lily alone in the cold corridor.

James jogged back out of the common room satisfied that he had got Lily's corsage. However he stopped in his tracks as he saw Lily-his date for the dance-talking to another guy. Jealousy burst through James' veins and when he saw the boy lean in a plant a kiss on Lily's cheek he wanted to punch his lights out. James glared down at the simple corsage in his hands and couldn't help but thinking that he wouldn't be here with Lily if Dumbledore hadn't said they had to go together. James squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fist as self pity and hatred seeped into his brain, whispering desolate thoughts and deflating James mood altogether.

When James opened his eyes Lily was watching him, her previous warm smile and blush having disappeared. James dropped his eyes and walked towards her, the bounce having gone out of his step. "Here," James said flatly offering Lily her corsage.

Lily gasped quietly and let James' slid the corsage onto her slim wrist. "It's…beautiful," Lily whispered, fingering the white petals of the Lily James had got for her. It was white and charmed to sparkle gently whenever the light caught it. It was white with pink scattered like freckles near the stem. It was simple but so beautiful.

"A Lily for a Lily." James smiled in spite of himself but made sure he didn't look her in the eyes.

James looked up startled when Lily cupped his cheek and gently dropped a kiss on it. "Thank you," Before she pulled a way she slipped a flower into James' button hole. "I guess great minds think alike." Lily grinned as James stared down at the Lily she had placed in his button hole and smiled before setting off after her, his bad mood forgotten.

~*~

"James I'm not a very good dancer," Lily whispered fearfully, squeezing his fingers tightly while they waited for the oak doors to open for their entrance.

"Just follow me and you'll be fine," James squeezed her fingers back before releasing them, offering instead his arm. Dumbledore and McGonnagal strolled up to them; McGonnagall offered them a reassuring smile while Dumbledore just winked, swinging the heavy oak doors open with a flourish of his wand. The headmaster and deputy swept into the ballroom followed by a round of applause and cheering. Lily and James waited apprehensively for the start of the song, signalling their entrance.

Music floated through the Great Hall and Lily and James shared a look then proceeded onto the dance floor. James caught his best friend's eye as he and Lily held position for the beginning of the dance. Sirius winked at his best friend and blew a kiss to Lily before spotting a girl who was conveniently alone and going to 'keep her company'.

Lily and James moved hesitantly at first but soon found a rhythm and floated elegantly across the floor, Lily following James' lead perfectly. As the song became softer and slower James tugged Lily forward, so their chests were brushing as they danced. Giving her a cheeky wink James dropped his hands to her hips and lifted her up, spinning her around while Lily grasped his biceps in surprise. James laughed softly and placed her on her feet before leading her off around the floor again.

"You're really good at this," Lily smiled in surprise, finding she and James had a perfect rhythm, like they were in sync with one and other.

James shrugged and his crooked smile lifted up the corners of his mouth, "I've had a lifetime of practice." James and Lily didn't notice the other couples joining the dance floor as they stared into each other's eyes and then followed by avoiding eye contact with a blush.

Lily only noticed her best friend when the song changed and James spun her out, Lily's fingers grazing Alice's bare shoulder. Lily let go of James' hand and gave Frank and Alice quick hugs, letting them go with a pang when she saw their gazes were only on each other. She stepped back over to James who was watching her face intently, "Are you alright?" James questioned softly, his eyes still on Lily's as he placed her hands on his neck and slid his around her slim waist, pulling her towards him. Moments passed and Lily noticed James' questioning look, only to realise he had been talking to her. She bit her lip, "Sorry what did you say?"

"I asked if you were alright." He looked over his shoulder and realised it was Alice and Frank Lily kept staring at, his heart sighed in relief.

"I'm perfectly fine." Lily rushed to assure him, offering a small smile as her evidence.

"But you're not having a good time…" James misinterpreted the look of longing on Lily's face as one to be with her friends and not him. Hurt seeped into his voice and he looked over her head to avoid Lily reading his face.

"James…" Lily touched his face gently and he raised his eyes to her truthful ones. "I am having a wonderful time and…I'm glad it was you I came with, not anybody else." Lily confessed, looking up from under her eyelashes with a coy smile.

"Me too."

~*~

Time had flown for the pair, interrupted by many of their friends and fellow students but not missing a single dance. In fact the pair had been on the dance floor together for so long the gossip mill was going crazy, speculating why, and many students had resorted to blatant staring. However Lily and James were oblivious to their spectators and they laughed and danced, talking about anything and everything that came to mind, slowly getting to know each other more as they loosened up about their past and future.

James was tapped on the shoulder and turned around; his eyebrows rising when Patrick Callahan stood behind him with a cocky grin on his face. "Potter, do you mind if I cut in?" He asked formally, his eyes darting between Lily and James.

"Uh-well-" James stumbled as he tried to find a reason to turn the guy down.

But Lily cut in smoothly, "Sorry Patrick, James is my date so dancing with other guys is kind of rude." She faked an apologetic smile.

"But Potter doesn't mind do you?" Patrick pursued, turning to James in a challenge. But James was never one to back down from a challenge.

"Actually Lily's right. She my date and I don't make it a habit of letting my date slip away with other men. Especially if it's Lily Evans." James grinned internally as he subtly rubbed it in Patricks face that he was at the ball with Lily Evans.

They both watched Patrick trudge away with delight before James turned his expressive eyes to Lily. "You didn't have to do that you know."He continued when Lily looked confused. "You could have danced with him-you didn't have to not for my sake."

"I don't want to dance with anybody else." She replied simply and James tried to hide his huge grin.

~*~

"Sirius!" Lily squealed as she was swept up into a huge bear hug by one of the favourite people.

"You look exquisite flower," Sirius appraised her, look over her attire with satisfaction and dropping a kiss onto her cheek.

"And you look…cute." Lily gave him a cheeky smile that made her eyes light up, contrasting to the rosiness of her flushed cheeks.

"Cute!" Sirius gasped, looking highly offended, "I was not on the cover of Witch Weekly TWICE because I was cute!" Sirius puffed out his chest proudly and narrowed his eyes playfully at Lily.

"Witch Weekly! The cover?!" Lily twirled around to James with an impressed smile adorning her face. "Is it true?"

"Sadly yes. He never shuts up about it." James rolled his eyes and grinned at his best friend.

"Hey don't under estimate the power of my body."

Sirius winked and Lily burst out laughing. "Ok ok you look very handsome." She giggled when Sirius looked affronted once again.

"Handsome?! I believe unbelievably-desirably-sexy is the word," Sirius raised his eyebrows in a challenge before sliding his eyes over to James to check if it was ok. He rolled his eyes and grinned, giving Sirius the go for it. "Say it-unless you want to be tickled." Sirius started to advance and Lily stumbled backwards, her hands in front of her stomach in defence while she laughed uncontrollably.

"I will never say that!" Lily declared, crashing into the James chest and hiding her head in it as Sirius pounced.

"Say it!" Sirius boomed, laughing manically as James wrapped his arms around Lily in an unbreakable bond and pinned her arms to her side.

"James!" Lily gasped, realising James had trapped her.

"Sorry sweetheart." He grinned widely at her and she began to shriek uncontrollably as Sirius attacked her. Lily writhed in James arms and would have slid to the floor if she hadn't been held up by him. James couldn't help but laugh as Lily was so helplessly hysterical in his arms, desperately trying to get away from Sirius' hands.

"Ok! I can't stand it any longer I give up!" Lily burst out and Sirius stopped immediately, hovering close to her face with a wicked smile on his face.

"Sirius looks unbelievably-desirably-sexy in his suit!"

"Haha!" Sirius barked out a laugh, "Now go spread that around everyone love." Sirius grinned and Lily smacked him across the head playfully when James released her.

"My stomach hurts now!" She pouted but couldn't stop the grin from spreading to her face. "Let go dance again," Lily grinned, sticking her tongue out childishly and leading James to the now disco dance floor.

~*~

"Thanks for an amazing evening James, I had a lot of fun." Lily bit her lip and gazed at James. They were in their common room, standing in the doorway of Lily's bedroom saying goodnight after the dance.

"Me too," James smiled softly. He wrapped his arms around Lily and hugged her tightly. When he let go of her he pressed a warm kiss to her flushed cheek. "Goodnight Lils."

The moonlight from the window pooled at their feet and illuminated their faces. Lily looked intently into James' eyes like she was trying to read what he was thinking. "You know, you're kinda beautiful." Lily confessed watching the way the moonlight bathed his face and made his tanned skin glow. The way his small relaxed smile lit up the room and his expressive eyes, flexed with green and gold, were half closed due to the lateness of the hour.

James laughed softly; the sound warming Lily up and creating a feeling in her stomach that was very pleasant. "Thank you."

"Goodnight James." Lily called as he crossed the threshold of his room.

James paused; he looked back once and smiled, "Night Lily."


	32. Golden Snitch

So you'll be pleased to know I got inspired today and wrote this chapter all in one go :) Woo. Lol. Ok so I've got something I want to say. So lately I have been so so so busy with mocks and everything else in my live but I've still tried to update as frequently as I can. But I'm not getting nearly as much reviewers as I used to and they're always the same people-who by the way I love you all because you're so sweet :) So I'm not going to go all crazy and put a number of reviews on each chapter before I update because, well I just won't, but I seriously need to get some more reviews. And I know there are loads of people who read this story and never review because of the story stats and the people who read my story now on only review on the last chapter! I mean why would I not want to know your opinion on any other chapter!? I'm not going to stop this story if more people don't start reviewing but it certainly will slow things down as there won't really be much of an incentive.

Ok so sorry about that mini rant it just frustrates me because I always try and review even it's just saying it was good or hurry with the next chapter :/ but seriously a humongous thank you to everyone who reviews every chapter. You guys are amazing and this chapter is dedicated to all over you :)

**Golden Snitch**

"Lily!" Lily whipped around to find Marlene and Alice jogging up to her, looking very windswept with messed up hair and rosy faces. "We've been looking for you everywhere!" Marlene exclaimed, linking arms with Lily as they skipped down the halfway.

"Sorry, I was with James." Lily smiled serenely and ducked her head at her friends questioning stares.

"Ok Lily what was that!?" Alice gasped, a surprised smirk working its way onto her lips. She tugged on Lily's arm trying to get her friend to look at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Lily insisted, hiding her face from her friends' stares and trying to cool the scarlet kiss that was obvious on her cheeks. Alice's blue eyes lit up with delight and a Cheshire cat grin strained her lips. "Alice…" Lily warned, her eyes darting around warily to see who was listening.

Alice rolled her cerulean eyes, "You like him!" She whispered, grinning so widely that Lily was surprised her mouth didn't crack.

"I do not!" She hissed, glaring at Marlene who was wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Our relationship is purely platonic. Besides he doesn't even like me like that anymore…"

"So are you saying if he did then you would go out with him?" Marlene questioned eagerly, eyes alight at the thought that they might finally get a confession out of Lily.

"NO! What? That is exactly what I'm not saying!" Lily said, getting more and more flustered. "Look we've got to get to class! We're going to be late!" Lily growled, speedily walking down the corridor towards the nearest classroom.

"Lily you know its lunch now right?" Alice laughed and shared a knowing grin with Marlene before running to catch up the embarrassed red head.

"I knew that." She muttered.

Lily watched as James stumbled into the common room laughing after Sirius, she assumed, tripped him up. She couldn't help the smile that worked its way onto her lips as she observed James tackled Sirius into the wall and wrestle him for something that was in his hand. She caught sight of a gold twinkle as Sirius punched his fist in the air in triumph. He quickly came crashing to the ground with a laugh as James grinned and dived at his legs. Her emerald orbs flickered to Remus as he, with a smile, grabbed the snitch out of Sirius' curled fist and jumped back into the armchair he was previously occupying. Seeing Lily watching him, Remus sent her a wink and flashed his teeth.

A second later James and Sirius leapt off the floor, arms slung around each other as they advanced on Remus. "Give me the Snitch and nobody gets hurt," James said mock dangerously, the smirk on his lips giving him away. Remus laughed and jumped agilely over the back of the armchair, using it as protection as James and Sirius came at him from different sides simultaneously.

"You'll never take me alive!" Remus exclaimed right before he sprinted off, James and Sirius in hot pursuit as they hollered after him. They tackled him right at the entrance to the Common Room, causing a frightened first year to flatten himself against the wall to avoid becoming a human sandwich. Lily could see their legs trashing as they tumbled over each other, wrestling like five year olds with lots of laughing and shouting.

"I've got it, I've got it!" Lily heard Sirius high pitched triumphant tones before a loud thud and a roar of laughter.

"I've got it you mean!" James' voice was slightly husky from laughing so much and the sound of it shot a shiver down Lily's spine. She wiggled her shoulders and frowned to herself; it was just a coincidence that she shivered when James talked. However she viewed him keenly as he strolled into the main part of the Common Room, a smug smirk on his face as he fingered the gold ball in his hand almost lovingly.

But Lily's quick eyes flickered behind him to where Sirius and Remus were creeping up on James. She almost opened her mouth to call to him but decided she was too amused by their antics to ruin it. Lily settled back and trained her eyes on James' back, watching to see what they would do. She watched Sirius lift his wand and mutter something. There was a pop and in place of James was a fluffy pink rabbit wearing a tutu. The whole Common Room, Lily included, roared with laughter as James hopped around crazily, the gold ball flying out of his hands. The rabbit turned its red eyes onto Sirius and Remus who were rolling around with laughter at their friend.

Suddenly it launched itself off the sofa and attacked.

The crazed rabbit went straight for the laughing Sirius' face. Sirius batted the rabbit off, still laughing hysterically, as James tried to do as much damage as he could as a furry animal. Eventually Remus calmed down enough to change James back, leaving Sirius with James sitting on his face. Sirius shoved him onto the floor with another barking laugh and James heaved him to his feet, plopping down in the armchair opposite Sirius.

"Haha good one mate," James grinned at both his friends before holding out his hand. Lily watched in amazement as the golden snitch which had previously been zooming around the room, fluttered into his hand and rested there. James smiled affectionately with it and started playing; letting it flutter away and at the last possible second snatching it back.

"Show off," Remus grinned, rolling his eyes playfully.

Sirius and Remus leant over the table, discussing something in great detail until Peter came and then they decided to play poker. James continued to play with his snitch, refusing the invite for poker. Lily tried to look away and concentrate on her charms homework but she was fascinated by James and his snitch.

When Lily had been staring at him for a very long time he suddenly locked eyes with her and smiled. With a movement of his head he showed Lily that he wanted her to come over. Lily hid her excited grin and packed up her stuff, dumping it on the table at James' feet as she stood before him. "Why didn't you come over?" James asked, eyeing her as if she had personally offended him by not. Lily shrugged and smiled, glancing about for somewhere to sit; Remus and Peter were taking up the whole couch while Sirius was occupying the spare armchair. She was about to sit down on the floor when James' arm shot out and curled around her waist, tugging her towards him. Slightly uncomfortable at thought of sharing James' armchair she tried to shrug him off. "I'll just sit on the floor, it's no problem." Lily argued, attempting to sit down while his heated arm was still wrapped around her.

"Lily…" He warned, his deep voice vibrating and telling her she was being stupid. She sighed in defeat while James grinned and moved over so she had more room. She daintily sat down; shying into the armrest on her side but James refused to move his arm, using it to pull her closer so she was pressed against his warm body. But Lily didn't really mind-it was quite nice really.

Lily asked a question that had been burning on her tongue since James had brought out his ever present snitch. "Why does the snitch come back to you?"

James turned his liquid gold eyes on her, the pupils looking so much lighter in the firelight. "It has a bond with me." James spoke slowly, his tone low, as if he was talking about something very important but she couldn't figure out what it was. "I've had this snitch since first year, my first Quidditch match. We've grown up together. In a way, it loves me." Lily felt her head nodded gently and James' face relaxed into an easy smile but she couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't just talking about the snitch.

"Hey James?" Lily and James were currently sitting in their common room after having their weekly heads meeting. Lily twisted to look at him, suddenly nervous at their close proximity in the warm room. Lily mentally hit herself as she slide backwards, creating some space so their knees weren't touching anymore.

"Mmm" He replied, not bothering to look up while he continued to scribble down Quidditch manoeuvres in his messy scrawl.

"Do you want to hang out later, play some chess or something?" James looked up briefly, an apologetic frown on his face.

"I'm sorry I've got detention." Lily raised her eyebrows but decided not to question him about it as he was already writing rapidly again. She felt slightly put out that her wasn't even looking at her but tried to shrug it off.

"That's ok. How about tomorrow?" Lily replied eagerly, a hopeful smile on her face.

"Quidditch training." Once again he didn't bother to look at her or give her a proper answer. She sighed and turned away from him, not wanting him to read her expression.

"All day?" She asked sceptically, wondering whether he just didn't want to hang out with her.

"Practically, then I've got to help Worm-Peter," He corrected himself swiftly, "With Transfiguration." The happy bubble in her chest deflated and disappointment from seeped into her veins. She tried to shake off her disappointment and be understanding that James was busy but she was still upset he couldn't create any time to spend with her.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Thanks a lot for landing me with tutoring Sirius tomorrow." Lily moaned, pretending to look put out and pouting.

James let out a short laugh, "So you said yes; intriguing." He finally looked up and gave Lily a half smile.

"Only because I felt bad for him-and he used those puppy dog eyes!" Lily groaned, "I can't resist them!"

"Don't feel bad Lil, no female can." Lily rolled her eyes and James laughed again at the look on her face. They lapsed into silence again and the smile slid off her face as Lily realised the conversation was over and she should just leave him to work in peace.

She stood up quietly, "Well I'll see you…later." Without a smile she turned her back on James and walked towards the porthole. James' eyes flickered to her face before she turned away and he could see she was not happy. He caught her wrist easily and turned her around, smiling kindly at her blank face.

"You know I want to hang out with you don't you?" James asked her, his fingers still gently holding Lily's small wrist. Lily made a non-committable sound in the back of her throat and James frowned. "Lil, I will always want to be around you. I'm just so busy…I would hang out with you if I could though, you know I would. You're one of my best friends." James smiled at her shyly and Lily couldn't help but smile at his sweet speech.

"Sorry," She whispered, pulling him into a warm hug. James sighed happily and bent down, moulding his tall frame to Lily's. Lily tried to pull back after a couple of seconds but James tugged her back into his arms murmuring something inaudible into her hair, his lips brushing her ear. Another shiver made Lily tremble and James pulled her closer, thinking she was cold.

Lily broke their warm embrace regrettably a couple of seconds later. "I've got to go."

"Oh, ok." James answered slightly awkwardly, blinking his eyes as if he was just waking up.

"Bye James," Lily said softly, offering him a small smile before climbing out of the porthole.

"Bye Lily."


	33. Christmas

"Bye Riley, have a great time in France!" Lily shouted, craning her neck to see Riley waving out the window as they train accelerated out of the station. Lily sighed softly, wrapping her woolly jumper tighter around her petit frame, attempting to shelter herself from the frosty breeze nipping at her.

Now Lily was all alone. Her parents were going to be spending the whole of Christmas preparing for Petunia's wedding and Lily really had to wish to be a part of it, even if Petunia had let her. So Lily decided to stay at school despite the fact all of her friends were going to be at home or at least with their families. Even the thought of all the extra studying and reading she could get done in the peace couldn't lift her gloomy spirit. That was until she saw a sandy mob emerging from the shadows; Remus. Lily scurried towards him with a smile on her face; where there was one Marauder there were four.

Just as Lily reached her friend and was about to greet him her attention was diverted. _James_. He swaggered towards them, his eyesight trained on his two best friends who were fighting over a magazine that had a half naked girl draped across a motorbike on it. James spotted Lily and Remus and increased his speed, pulling Sirius and Peter after him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were all going over to James' for Christmas" Lily exclaimed with a hopeful expression while trying turn her gaze to all of them not just James.

However James answered her directly with a twinkle in his hazel orbs, "Well a little birdie-ahem doggie-" He corrected with a grin when Sirius elbowed him playfully, "Told me you were spending Christmas alone at Hogwarts, so we cancelled our plans." James shrugged and smiled brightly at Lily.

Lily placed a hand over her heart to convey how touched she felt, "Just for me?" She clarified, clamping down on her lip to stop the huge smile from bursting onto her face. They all nodded and Lily 'awwed'. "You didn't have to do that for me, seriously guys."

"We couldn't let our favourite head girl be all alone on Christmas," Sirius smiled warmly and genuinely, gazing at her from over James' shoulder.

"That is so sweet you guys. _Thank you_." Lily beamed, truly touched, while they grinned boyishly at her. The Marauders turned to go and Lily followed them quickly, not wanting to be left alone on the cold platform.

"Lil, do you want some transfiguration help tonight?" James offered spontaneously, watching Lily's face light up with gratification.

She nodded swiftly and James smiled sneakily at his friends, "Since you guys owe me a favour, do you wanna help out?"

"We don't owe you anything!" Remus argued, unable to stop the slight smile from creeping onto his face in remembrance of the event that happened yesterday.

"I beg to differ, do you remember yesterday wit-" James sang, letting loose a laugh as he tugged at Sirius' ebony locks playfully. Sirius swatted his hand away, smoothing down his hair while a smile.

"Fine we'll do it!"

"Great!" James grinned before ducking into the carriage that was taking them back to the castle.

~*~

"Are you coming with us to Hogsmeade Lil?" James sprung out of nowhere as Lily stepped off the staircase almost giving her a heart attack.

"How do you do that!?" Lily exclaimed, glancing about and trying to work out where he could have possibly come from. She slowly took her hand off her heart as her racing pulse started to slow.

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies." James answered cryptically an infuriating smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.

Lily rolled her emerald orbs but smiled at him, "I'll come, I've got to get Christmas presents anyway." Lily answered, watching his expression with apprehension however his face stayed clear and unchanged. "I haven't got yours yet," She scuffed her shoe on the marble floor and cast a sly sideways glance at James to watch his expression.

"You don't have to get me a present Lil, having you as a friend is more than enough." James replied smoothly as she shot her a swoon-worthy smile. Lily awed softly and flushed a deep shade of maroon while becoming slightly flustered.

"Are you?" She stuttered quickly, blushing an even deeper shade of red, "I mean-getting me-if you do, I will…" Lily frowned at herself for making no sense but James just laughed quietly, understanding her disjointed speech anyway.

"I always get you a present Lily so this year shouldn't be any different. At least you'll keep it this year-hopefully!" He added with a small chuckle but it faded out when Lily didn't smile back, instead a guilty look drowned her features.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, her fingers grazing his hand but not picking it up.

"It's fine," He stressed, "It's all in the past, remember?" He added quickly and Lily nodded reluctantly, not saying all that she wanted to.

"Yo! Prongs, flower over here!" Sirius' voice boomed across the hallway as he finally found his friends. Sirius waved madly, almost knocking over Peter who was standing at his elbow. "Come on!" He shouted again, impatiently this time, causing Lily and James to hurry towards him.

~*~

Lily tugged on the dark leather trimming of Sirius' coat while simultaneously wrapping hers closer to her body. Sirius slowed down realising she wanted to ask him something in private and looked down expectantly on her. "What would James like for Christmas?" Lily asked quietly and slightly bashfully, not knowing why she suddenly had become shy around Sirius.

"You; wrapped up with a bow," Sirius answered cheekily, getting a smack on the chest and a blush from Lily in return.

"I'm being serious!" Lily complained.

"No I'm being Sirius!" He barked out a laugh and Lily couldn't help but join in at the awful, over-used joke. Finally the laughter died down and Sirius blew out a breath, smiling when a cloud formed, "I usually get him something from Zonko's or the Quidditch shop. But whatever you get he'll love flower, just because it's from you." Sirius shrugged and slung his arm around Lily as they wandered after James, Remus and Peter into the Three Broomsticks.

~*~

"Uh a book…on cleaning his broom? A Quidditch glove? Remus! Help me!" Lily moaned, throwing down numerous items in her hands; she still hadn't found James a gift and it was almost time they had to be back at Hogwarts.

"It's alright Lily, you'll find him something. Why don't we go to the school supplies shop?" Remus soothed, leading her out of the warm shop that smelt faintly like James.

The trekked through the snow in companionable silence, slowly making their way down the main high street the supply shop. The bell on the door pinged as Remus opened it, stamping his feet on the mat to shake off the snow, Lily following suit. As they browsed the selves for perspective gifts Lily tried to work up the nerve to ask a question that had been swirling around her mind for quite a while now.

"Remus, can I ask you a personal question?" Remus lowered the book he had been skim reading and nodded and Lily, placing it back on its shelf and moving closer to her. "It's about James." She added quietly. Remus gave her a small smile and nodded towards some 6th years further down the aisle before guiding Lily away from them. Lily understood that he didn't want them to overhear and was thankful he was so thoughtful. "Umm, is James always as…physical with other people as he is with me? I mean…does it _mean_ something?" Lily asked anxiously, apprehension causing butterflies in the pit of her stomach to dance.

Remus paused and took a moment to consider what he was going to say. "James has always been good at expressing his feelings through touch." Remus responded carefully, not wanting to give anything away that James might not want him to.

Lily gave him an impatient look, "That didn't really answer my questions."

"James cares for you, a lot." Remus settled on, "And he likes to show that through physical contact." Remus finalised with an apologetic smile. "I really don't know what else to tell you Lily." Lily grumbled as she moved away from Remus to browse the aisles again but secretly was already planning on asking Sirius.

"How about some personalised parchment?" Lily called many minutes later of tiredly looking through the objects for sale.

Remus appeared at her side almost instantaneously, "I'm sure he would like it." Remus nodded in approvable but Lily got the vibe he didn't think James would be thrilled to get it, to be honest neither did she but Christmas was in a couple of days and she didn't have another chance to get him a present.

"It has a snitch on it," She added desperately, glancing towards the shop keeper who was itching towards the closed sign.

"It would be useful," Remus agreed with a shrug and a cheering smile. Lily sighed and hurried to the till, not particularly happy about her purchase.

~*~

"Did you get everything you needed?" James asked innocently as the five of them climbed into one of the last carriages leaving for Hogwarts.

"Yeah," Lily sighed, dropping her bags at her feet and pulling off her gloves to rifle through them.

"What's wrong?" James asked the concern evident in his tone as he slid next to her.

"Oh nothing, it's fine." Lily faked a smile and James frowned slightly but let it drop, engaging Remus into a talk about their DADA project.

~*~

"Merry Christmas! Have a jolly good night! Happy Christmas! Make sure you go to sleep early or no presents, haha! Merry Christmas!" Sirius called excitedly to all of the portraits as he dragged his presents and sleeping stuff to the head's dorm along with Remus and Peter. Remus and Peter were decidedly more subdued this Christmas Eve as they smiled at Sirius' antics and festive decorations littering the halls and staircases; James and Lily had gone all out. Not to mention the enchanted mistletoe that didn't let you leave until you kissed the person. Remus had been caught under it multiple times, thankfully all with girls. Peter hadn't been so lucky…

"PRONGS!!!!!!!!" Sirius abandoned his stuff in the hallway and tackled James onto the carpet in a hug. "PETER KISSED RALF HARVEY FROM RAVENCLAW UNDER THE MISTLETOE!!!!!!!" Sirius started laughing uncontrollably as did James after one glance at Peter's beetroot red face; soon they were rolling around the floor. Remus and Lily at least tried to stifle their giggles for Peter's sake.

"SHUT UP! I HAD NO CHOICE!" Peter shouted over the laughter, trying to keep whatever shred of dignity he had left. Peter plonked himself down on the sofa, affronted, but mostly very embarrassed as he rubbed his lips.

Lily shuffled down the sofa and patted Peter's arm consolingly, "Alice and Marlene had to kiss." She told the humiliated boy in a bid to make him feel better.

"But they're girls and best friends! It's not as weird!" He moaned and when he hid his head in his hands Lily glared at James and Sirius who had once again started up their uproarious laughter at Peter's statement.

"So how good was he Wormy?" Sirius grinned and set him and James off again as Peter muttered something under his breath while glaring at them.

"Where did the tree come from?" Lily darted across the room the infectious grin on her face growing as she found boxes of decorations underneath it.

"We went and asked the house elves for one this morning." Remus smiled and went over to join Lily who was already putting up the decorations and charming them to sparkle. James and Sirius dragged a reluctant Peter over as well, who was still trying, but failing miserably, to ignore them for laughing at him.

"Oh come on Wormy, you know we were just teasing." Sirius said, rolling his eyes in a slightly irritated manner.

They spent the rest of the evening laughing over hot chocolate and decorating the tree outrageously, using as many spells as they could to make it look 'magical'. At the end of the night Lily retired with a sparkling, happy smile while the Marauders chose to crash on the sofas beside the fire to be together.

~*~

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Sirius sang as he pounced on James and wrestled the covers off him in a flurry. "GET UP GET UP!!!!!!!! PRESENT TIME! UP!" He ordered giddily as he pushed James out of bed and down the stairs before leaping back up the stairs to get Lily.

He threw open her door but sadly she was already dressed, just putting on her slippers. "Oh, you're dressed, shame." Sirius fake sighed and Lily smacked his head as she skipped out the door.

"Pervert," She laughed as he recovered enough to drag her down the stairs.

"Merry Christmas Lil!" James engulfed Lily in an excited hug as she stepped off the staircase, obviously not realising, or not caring, that he was shirtless. Remus and Peter just waved from their eager spots beside the tree.

Lily's eyes almost burst out of their sockets as she took in the piles of presents that were scattered around the room-they were _huge_! She looked wordlessly at the boys and they directed her to one of the 'smaller' piles of presents, which was still significantly bigger than she had ever gotten before. "C'mon c'mon!" Sirius wailed, already holding one of his presents ready to rip it open.

"That's your pile!" Lily exclaimed staring blatantly at the pile of colourful presents that was nearly as tall as Sirius.

Sirius smiled smugly in answer, "Admirers." Lily shook her head as she gaped, she knew Sirius had a lot of admirers but this was taking it to a whole new level. Her gaze travelled to James' pile which rivalled Sirius'; their gazes connected. "You too?"

James blushed and ducked his head modestly, "Some, mostly family though." Lily shook her head in amazement and sat down next to her pile, pulling a circular box onto her lap, fingers poised over the ribbon. "Ready?" James asked, eyes glittering as he surveyed each person individually. "GO!" He shouted and the air was filled with ripping noises and gasps.

James jerked his head towards the door and Lily followed him outside with a smile, the others not noticing their silent exit. "Wanna go for a walk?" Lily nodded and slipped her gloved hand in his bare one as they walked outside into the white Christmas snow. They walked in comfortable silence until they reached the circular patio where James turned and sat down on a bench after wiping snow off it with a grin. Lily daintily sat down next to him and turned so she could see him.

"I wanted to give you your present in private. Close your eyes." James whispered and Lily closed them immediately. James took Lily's hand gently and tugged off her gloves, placing them in his pocket; then he spread a silver bracelet across her palm. "You can open your eyes."

Lily's eyelashes fluttered open and she gasped, a smile forming on her rose petal lips. "It's beautiful," She sighed, the tears forming in her eyes as she noticed her name and a Lily dangling from the bracelet. Lily held out her wrist and delicately offered the bracelet to James, "Will you put it on?" James nodded happily and when he had finished Lily launched herself into his arms in a tight hug. Her hand slid under his jacket and round his back as she clutched him closer, moulding her body to his. James sighed blissfully and stroked Lily's hair that was cascading down her back. "I love it," She whispered into his ear, her hot breath making him shiver.

James sighed and reluctantly let Lily go, noticing their embrace had gone on for minutes. "I'm so glad," James smiled joyfully but it dropped off his face when Lily didn't smile back. "What's wrong?" He asked anxiously, grasping one of her warm hands in his own.

"My present is so rubbish compared to yours." She moaned, pouting as she looked up at him from underneath her wet eyelashes.

James let out a warm laugh and his eyes twinkled at her, "I love your present, it's very…useful." James declared, nudging Lily elbow before wrapping an arm around her.

"Shut up! You're just being nice!" Lily moaned, hiding her face in James' chest.

"No, I really love it Lil. It came from you, that's all that matters." James gave her a lopsided grin and moved a strand of hair out of her face as it immerged from his chest.

"Really?" She asked demurely and James nodded while standing up.

"Piggyback ride?" He offered with a boyish smile, gesturing to stand on the bench. Lily laughed musically and jumped onto James' back, wrapping her legs and arms around his torso and resting her head on his neck. She let out a gleeful squeal as he ran across the snow covered ground and pressed herself further into his back. James twirled around in the middle of the ground, taunting Lily as he swayed from side by side. Lily grabbed handfuls of snow of the branches dangling in front of her as they ran past and dumped it down his shirt with a joyous shout as he let out a playful scream. James made they topple onto the snow and land side by side, their bodies heaving as they laughed gaily. James grinned and leaned close to her…and dumped a hand full of snow onto her face with a laugh.

"Merry Christmas Lily!"

_Wowsa that was a long chapter-sorry there wasn't much L&J love. Please review guys:) Hope you had an awesome Christmas and New Year. Let's made 2010 the BEST year ever!!_

_Ohh and if you like the Jonas Brothers, then listen to Nick Jonas and the administration's new album-who am I is amazing! And congrats to Kevin and Danielle, they look so happy together. God bless xx_


	34. Enlightenment

Hey chicas, sorry it's been a while but hopefully you enjoy this new instalment. It's quite action packed I'd say and quite important to the plotline ;)

Anyways reviews are very much appreciated so…review :)

**Enlightenment**

Lily flicked her long red hair over her shoulder, idly wondering whether she should cut it to a more manageable length, and scratched out yet another line of her 12 foot potions essay. Lily had been in the library for hours-she was the last person there-and still had not managed to finish her essay so was now trying to scribble out the last foot before she was kicked out of the library.

She hadn't been able to concentrate all day and it was really frustrating her.

She had no idea why.

It felt like the air around her was suffocating and there was impending doom around the castle. It sounded stupid but something felt wrong, out of place. She was sure it was not just her who felt it but she didn't want to ask for risk of sounding crazy.

Lily scrawled the last line of her essay, edgily watching Mrs Prince who was tapping her watch in an intimidating manner. She threw her books-and precious essay-into her bag and hurried out of the library. Lily frowned as she hastened through the unusually silent castle, drawing her cardigan closer to her body for protection and glancing over her shoulder apprehensively.

Lily was just passing the Ravenclaw tower when she heard a whimper and the hiss of some low voices. Lily immediately drew her wand, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up and warning her something unpleasant lay ahead. Lily turned the corner and found the source of noise; a group of three 7th year Slytherin's circled around a small mousy looking girl whom Lily assumed had strayed from the Ravenclaw common room.

"Back off Mulciber." Lily hissed, glad her voice did not convey the panic she was still feeling due to the uneasy atmosphere.

The Slytherin's broke their circle and trained their wands on Lily, conceited smiles on their dark faces.

"Look who is it, our precious Mudblood head girl here to the rescue." Mulciber taunted smiling when Lily's grip on her wand tightened and her knuckles turned whiter than usual.

"Let the girl go," Lily demanded, the voice a lot firmer and detached than she felt. Her emerald orbs hardened into a glare when the backed the girl back against the stone wall, allowing her no escape route.

"I said let her go." Lily hissed, advancing so that her wand was directly in Mulciber's face-as he seemed to be in charge of this little episode.

"Or what? What will you do, take points off me? Report me to your precious head boy so he can come beat me up for looking at you." Lily's face heated up with fury but she was unable to retort. "It's such a shame you're a mudblood; a shame beauty is wasted on something as dirty and tainted as you." Mulciber leered at her, letting his eyes linger on her chest and long legs.

"50 points from Slytherin."

"Is that all you've got? My my I am disappointed, I was led to believe that you were quite the dueller. Or is that reserved for your dear blood traitor boyfriend?"

"Stupefy!" Lily yelled, finally losing her temper. But as soon as her spell was shot Lily was thrown against the wall by two spells from Mulciber's cronies. By this time Mulciber was standing up again and all three were advancing on Lily who was backed against the chilled stone wall.

"What's going on here?" A sharp voice penetrated the silence and Lily's eyes grew hopeful as she recognised the voice.

"We were just-" Mucliber began but was cut off. Lily wondered where Severus' newfound confidence had come from, in the past Lily would have said it was a good thing but now, she was not so sure.

"Let her go Mulicber, think about what your father would do if he found out you were wasting time toying with mudbloods." Lily's face hardened and her she glared at Severus through the slits her eyes had become, attempting to stop the wave of pain at his words become visible on her face.

"Is that a threat Snape?" Mulciber hissed; his lip curled back like an angry dog.

"A warning." The Slytherins' dropped their wands with incensed glares and stalked off, Snape following closely behind them.

Lily waited for a couple of minutes, listening to their resounding footsteps fade into the distance as they moved away from her. Lily angrily brushed the tears of hurt that were gathering in her eyes away and picked up her wand, which had been discarded on the floor a few metres from where she had been cornered.

Lily slowly walked away, towards her own common room, conflicting emotions raging in her heart. Lily heart footsteps quickly gaining on her and shrunk into the shadows in fear.

"Lily," Severus' voice breathed, a definite pleading tone to it.

Lily turned to look him in the eye, her own hardening. "Go away Severus." She commanded, swiftly turning on her heel.

But Severus grabbed her arm, "Lily I'm sorry I-"

"Save it, I'm just a mudblood remember." Lily ran off, ignoring Severus' shouts after her, angry tears swarming her eyes.

Lily burst into the heads common room and flew past James who scratching out yet another new Quidditch play to show Sirius. James looked up startled and opened his mouth to greet her when he saw the tear tracks on her face.

"Lily?!" James shouted, quickly running up the stairs as he heard her bedroom door slam shut. "Lily what's wrong?!!" James called, pressing his concerned face to the door as if he would be able to see through it.

"GO AWAY!" Lily's cry was muffled by the pillow that was covering her head, blocking out all the light.

"Lily please let me in!" James begged desperately, knocking at her door gently when he heard her stifled sobs. Lily didn't respond and her sobs carried on so after a couple of heartbreaking seconds James pushed open the door and rushed to Lily's side.

James dropped to his knees beside her head, his heart aching as he watched Lily's shaking body. "Lily…" James implored, desperate to know what was causing her-and him-so much grief so he could make it better.

Lily lifted her upset face; the tears still steadily running down her face while she made small whimpering gasps. James could not take it anymore; he climbed onto her bed and took Lily in his arms, cradling her gently as he stroked her fiery mane and tried to stem the tears flowing from his angel's eyes. James felt like everything in his life was perfect in that moment of time, the moment where he was holding Lily. Until he remembered the tears that were soaking his shirt.

"What's wrong?" James asked softly, tightening his arms around Lily in an act of protection.

"It's stupid," Lily croaked after a long time, "I promised myself I would never let him get to me again, I shouldn't care what he thinks…or what he says-" Lily broke down crying again and James stiffened as he realised who Lily was mourning over.

"What did he do?" The hostile edge was apparent in James' voice even though he fought to keep it steady.

"He-he called me a mudblood." Lily confessed-although leaving out being attack-raising her watery green eyes for the first time to James' steeled orbs. James let out a low hiss of anger and tightened his arms around Lily even further.

"I'm sorry Lily." James choked out after a tension filled silence when James calmed himself down.

"Why are you sorry, you hate him! You should be gloating that you were right about him!"

"I could, but I care about you Lily and even though I hate _Snape_, I would never wish him to hurt you." James confessed.

Lily just hugged him.

~*~

James ran and he ran and he ran, relishing in the feeling of the wind rushing past him and ruffling his fur. He felt so powerful when he was a stag. He could feel the frozen earth between his hooves and the leaves brushing against him as he flew past. There was a medley of smells, from the scent of newborn unicorn to the smell of students ages away. He could even see everything; the rabbit bounding in a hole metres away, the caterpillar hanging off the leave on the beech tree.

He felt on top of the world.

James heard a joyful bark as Sirius fell in sync with him, his doggy tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth as he loped beside James at a leisurely pace. James let Sirius take the lead and playfully butted his backside with his antlers causing a yelp and a well deserved 'you're on' look from Sirius which was exactly what James wanted. This ensured a long and fun game of fighting; animal style.

They lay down in a clearing after transferring back into their human forms with many new scratches.

"Opps sorry about that mate," James grinned sheepishly as he noticed a particularly long scratch running down Sirius' forearm.

"No worries," Sirius grinned good-naturedly, leaning back against a moss covered tree trunk to enjoy a brief lapse of sunshine.

The boys lapsed into comfortable silence and James' mind wandered off to Lily, as usual, and her grief last night at what her ex best friend had called her. Squashing down the rise of anger James focused on how beautiful she had looked with the tear drops trickling down her pale porcelain skin and how big her emerald eyes seemed when swimming with water. Even her pale eyelashes were enhanced in length from the moisture making her orbs stand out even more. James let out a contented sigh as he carried on day dreaming about Lily.

James heart quickened when he thought of Lily and suddenly the world seemed like a brighter place. He got that familiar fluttering feeling in his stomach and he started to blush when around her. He also could not stop grinning like a fool. And recently, he had been fighting the overwhelming urge to kiss her every time he saw her. He had felt this all before…

"Padfoot!" James' eyes widened in realisation and Sirius was startled by the look of shock on James' face when he cracked open an eye. He bolted upright suddenly realising why James was in a panic.

"Padfoot I'm still in love with Lily!"


	35. Almost, not quite avoiding her

Bonjour mon amies :)

So I'm quite proud of this chapter, I feel like the writing is more advanced and descriptive. Also thanks for all the great reviews on the last chapter, they were all really sweet. I love you guys. So anyway here is the fruit of my labour; enjoy.

**Almost, not quite avoiding her**

Lily skipped down the stairs, her gray pleated skirt swishing gently against her legs with the movement. "Morning," Lily called in a chipper voice as she entered the common room, expecting, as usual, for James to be lounging on the sofa waiting for her.

He wasn't.

"James?" Lily's eyebrows knitted together as she surveyed the empty common room. Lily frowned, her stomach dropping with something akin to disappointment and walked slowly down to breakfast. Lily pushed open the heavy wooden doors to the great hall and her eyes drew to the spot where her group of friends and the Marauders now frequented. Lily bit her lip, not sure why it was affecting her so much, when she saw a familiar ebony mob of hair laughing with his brothers and her friends over their breakfasts'.

"Hey James, where'd you go this morning?" Lily asked, trying to keep her tone light and casual as she slid into her usual seat opposite him. Lily pretended not to notice the tiniest stiffening of Sirius' body as she asked her question, or that James raised his eyes to hers for only a millisecond before dropping them back down to his breakfast.

"I slept at my old dorm." James mumbled into his orange juice, avoiding any further eye contact or interrogation from Lily. Lily puckered her eyebrows at his odd behaviour, slightly stung, but continued to eat her breakfast and chat with her friends, only watching him slyly over her toast.

"Sirius, hey Sirius!" Lily shouted, running to catch up with the handsome Marauder who was dashing down the corridor towards the common room. "Sirius! Didn't you hear me?" Lily pulled at his elbow, forcing him turn around and acknowledge her. For a moment she caught a weird look on his face but it cleared so quickly that she concluded she must have imagined it, and his mouth split into his normal heart breaking grin.

"Hey Lil, what's up?" He ran a hand through his ruffled waves, causing a girl across the corridor to swoon.

"Do you know where James is?" Lily asked, trying her hardest to be casual but suspecting Sirius saw straight through her, "I haven't seen him around, you know, today." Sirius' face was a mask and if there was anything going on with James Lily could not tell from the blank void of Sirius' features.

He answered flawlessly and without hesitation, "Nope, sorry, if I see him I'll tell him you're looking for him." Sirius lied expertly with a smile that went over Lily's head to the girl across the corridor who was still staring at him.

"Excuse me Lil, I've got to go get a date for tonight." Lily watched Sirius as he strutted over to the girl leaning again the wall and started flirting with her.

"Bye then," Lily answered sarcastically and Sirius sent her a wink over his shoulder as she walked away.

Lily sighed for the hundredth time that evening and let her emerald orbs leisurely drift over to the porthole, which at this point seemed more like a wall from the outside world, and more specifically from James.

"Lily!" Alice cried exasperated, "What's gotten into you today?" Alice unleashed her bright baby blue eyes onto Lily with concern.

"What? Nothing I'm _fine_." Lily stressed, offering her best friend her brightest smile in compensation for her obvious lie. But as Lily predicted Alice could see right through her, as though she was as transparent as glass. Alice just gave Lily a look and she caved.

"Ok, ok, it's, well it's about James." Lily lowered her voice just in case said Marauder decided to do one of his magic tricks and appear out of thin air.

"Tell me something I don't know," Alice grinned, pushing her homework to the side, crossing her legs and giving Lily her full, undivided, rapt attention.

"He's been, well, ignoring me…" Lily whispered tentatively, attempting to smooth out her pained features into a look more normal.

Alice's forehead creased in thought as she considered the information, "How long has he been ignoring you?"

"Well today," Lily answered and Alice's face relaxed as a small laugh escaped her.

"Lily, sweetie, he's probably just having a bad day, or been really busy. He's _not_ ignoring you." Alice patted Lily's arm gently and fished her essay off the floor, decidedly ending the conversation in order to finish her homework.

Evidently Lily wasn't done as she interrupted Alice's train of thought with a vulnerable question, "How do you know? He could be ignoring me! He could be angry at me…" Lily's face crumpled and Alice once again allowed a frown to crinkle her flawless skin.

"Lils, what's going on? I've never seen you this way about a guy before!" The frown on her face slowly turned into a-slightly smug-smile, "Do you like him?"

"No!" Lily rushed to deny it, her cheeks aflame, "He's one of my best friends you know, I really care about him." Despite Lily's protests the smirk stayed intact on Alice's face,

"You sure that's all he is? You sure did sound like you liked him earlier when you were having your little panic attack."

"Alice!" Lily gasped, "You know me better than anyone and you know I don't feel that way about James. I can't. It just wouldn't be right…He's such a good friend to me, but that's all. He doesn't like me like that, and I don't like him. That would be…bad. I, I don't like him Ali." Lily finished off her ramble by staring her best friend directly in the eyes, as if to prove a point. However Alice got the feeling Lily was trying to prove to herself that she did not like James, but decided not to push her, or else she would close up completely.

Alice shrugged, "Ok" And went back scrawling across her essay in almost illegible writing. Lily looked surprised that her usually strong-willed friend gave up so easily but shrugged it off and quickly finished the last paragraph of her transfiguration essay.

"James you're being stupid!" Sirius declared, pushing the cloak away from his body and rounding on his friend. "This is ridiculous!"

"Just get under the cloak! I don't want to risk seeing her in the common room, this morning was bad enough." James sighed forlornly and Sirius rolled his eyes as he shook out his black mane.

"You can't hide from her forever, she already knows something's up." Sirius grumbled, but nevertheless obeyed his brother and crouched underneath the cloak in order for them walk down the hall way unseen.

"Not forever, just until I can sort this out, get my feelings under control." James whispered as Peeves flew overhead, eyeing the corridor impishly and holding something mistrustful behind his back.

"Have you thought of telling flower?" Sirius questioned, mildly uncomfortable about the look on James' face.

"I can't! It would ruin _everything_. I just, I can't lose her Pads, I just can't." Sirius sighed at the anguished features of his best friend and wondered why the world couldn't his views; don't get attached and that way you can move on to the next person with no problem.

Sirius nodded solemnly and drew James to his side, knowing better than to try and persuade him otherwise when he was in one of his moods. James muttered the passwords and they silently crept into the common room hearing the whisper of voices. They both stilled when they heard Alice speak:

"Lils, what's going on? I've never seen you this way about a guy before! Do you like him?" James stopped breathing and Sirius prayer that they were not talking about someone other than James; he didn't know if James would be able to bear it.

"No!" Lily rushed to deny it, James noted with slight hope that her cheeks were scarlet, "He's one of my best friends you know, I really care about him."

"You sure that's all he is? You sure did sound like you liked him earlier when you were having your little panic attack." Alice's smirk grew and so did Sirius', hoping that they would finally hear the confession from Lily that would make his brother the happiest man alive, and as a consequence Sirius too.

"Alice!" Lily gasped, "You know me better than anyone and you know I don't feel that way about James. I can't. It just wouldn't be right…He's such a good friend to me, but that's all. He doesn't like me like that, and I don't like him. That would be…bad. I, I don't like him Ali."

Sirius' smile dropped and he didn't dare look at his brother who he knew was crushed. They made their way to his room in ominous silence that Sirius did not even break when the door was closed firmly behind him. Instead he drew his brother to his chest and for once, did not mock the few tears that fell from his poignant orbs.

"James? Are you there?" Lily called out timidly, while knocking on his big oak door, not sure of how she would be received. A smile graced her features as the door swung open but it diminished slightly as she found his best friend there instead.

"Hey Sirius, is James there, I wanted to see if he'll check my transfiguration essay," Lily craned her neck, trying to see past Sirius' strategically placed body into James' room.

Sirius just offered a politely charming smile and tugged the essay out of her small hands, "James is in the shower, I'll do it for you." Lily's expression changed to one of surprise but Sirius had already started closing the door before she could say thank you.

However before the door could fully close she heard the tired tones of the voice she had been craving to hear all day. James appeared at the door, "It's fine Sirius, I can do it." Lily watched as James and Sirius locked eyes and James nodded faintly causing Sirius to disappear back into the room, dropping the essay in James' open palm.

James glanced at Lily very briefly before giving his full, undivided attention to her essay, seemingly oblivious to Lily's fidgeted attempts at making him acknowledge her. The silence seemed suffocating to Lily as she awkwardly stood, watching James' scanning her essay with reasonable concentration.

"It's well written," James broke the silence with his husky speech, "The only thing I can dispute is the point about the colour change focal point…" Lily stopped listening, instead focusing on the tone of his voice and the smooth flow of his words as they carried to her petite ears.

"Lily," James' eyes for the first time met hers in a confused state. "Did you get that?" Lily nodded dumbly, unable to draw her eyes away from the unmistakable sadness in his. James throat started to constrict and his breathing became laboured the longer he stayed connected with Lily. His arm seemed to be burning in the place where it brushed against Lily's, yet he was unable to pull it away from the softness of his skin. James could feel himself losing control as he stared into her expressive emerald orbs; they were telling him so much. His senses were in overload, all he could concentrate was her. Merlin he loved her so much. He could feel himself losing the resolve and his body reacting without his permission. Was he leaning in? This wasn't good.

"Prongs?" Sirius stuck his head out of the door, sensing that his brother needed help. James took a shuddering breath and with one last look at Lily, swept into his bedroom.

The spell was broken.


	36. Quidditch

_Hey guys, sorry I haven't update for a while but its exam season and GCSE's tend to take over your life ;) So this chapter is only one scene but I hope you like it because it's almost completely focused on Lily and James. And don't worry, to those of you who have asked, Lily and James will be getting together __vaguely__ soon ;)_

_Hope you all are well and good luck with any of you with exams x_

_Disclaimer-have we been over this before? I don't own anything!_

**Quidditch**

It was mid-afternoon and despite the black storm clouds that were hovering just above their heads, the Gryffindor Quidditch team was hard at practice. James had had them running drills for what seem like hours and now they were tired, hungry and, in Sirius' case, mud splattered from where he had been tackled to the ground by their captain himself in a playful wrestle.

They were in the middle of practising the Wronski Frient when Sirius swooped over to his best friend, "Prongs look," Sirius nudged James and gestured towards the stands where a familiar red head was sitting, appearing to be reading a book despite the torrent of rain that was falling all around her. She looked beautiful; the cheeks were tinted rogue from the cold and her wet red locks lifted stuck to her face, contrasting deeply with paleness of her skin. James moaned loudly, and Sirius gave him an unusually sympathetic look knowing that James had yet to figure out what he was going to do about Lily.

"5 times around the pitch, I'll be back in two minutes." James ordered quickly, causing his miserable team to moan in protest. "Do you want me to make it ten?" He asked sharply, having to play the part of a tough captain even though he disliked it at times. The team shook their heads in unison and took off around the pitch while James slowly floated to the Gryffindor stands. He swung his leg over the metal railing and landed a couple of rows below Lily.

"Err hi." James muttered as he splashed his way up to Lily, his hand automatically jumping to his soaking hair.

"Hi," Lily answered with a small smile as she closed her book and observed him.

"What are you doing here?" James demanded, wincing at the harshness of his tone and Lily's taken aback look.

"I was, um, I wanted to talk to you." Lily bit her lip and gazed up at him front underneath rain drenched eyelashes.

"I'm running a practice. I don't have time to talk." James said shortly, not meaning to be rude but by the affronted look that clouded Lily's pale features James could tell he was not succeeding. Still it was better to be rude than to tell her what he was really feeling.

"I know that. I was going to wait." Lily snapped defensively, a blush heating her already pink cheeks.

"Are you crazy? It's torrential rain out here Lily! You need to get back into the castle before you get sick."

Lily gritted her teeth, her temper flaring as James implied that she was a weak, fragile girl. "I already told you I needed to talk to you."

Now James was beginning to lose his temper as he viewed the angry red head in front of him. "Lily _get_ inside,"

"You can't order me around." Lily growled her hands on her hips and an intimidating expression on her face. Her hand even inched towards her wand but she knew that was too childish.

"For Merlin's sake stop being so stubborn and go inside!" James near shouted, attracting the attention of him team who were flying above them. He waved them away though, ignoring the concerned look his best friend sent his way.

"I said I was staying here." Lily spat back at him, a familiar feeling of anger bubbling inside her and waiting for a way to explode.

James gritted his teeth, "Fine I'll take you inside." With a quick look over his shoulder to check his team was still flying, he frogmarched Lily down the stands and up towards the castle, refusing to look at her the entire way. Lily squirmed frantically and made it perfectly clear she was not happy with this arrangement but James' grip on her remained as hard as steel.

"Let-me-go!" Lily struggled, "I'm not some fragile girl that you need to protect. I don't need you!"

James let go off her like she was burning, badly disguised hurt clouding his face, and Lily's glare softened immediately, "I didn't mean it like that, James I-"

"I've got to get back to practice." James muttered quickly, he threw his leg over his broom and took off into the dark sky, ignoring Lily's calls after him.

"Prong she's still there," Sirius murmured into James' ear, his stormy orbs gliding over the small figure stood dejectedly at the bottom of the stands. James gritted his teeth and attempting to ignore her for the next couple of minutes, throwing himself wholeheartedly into the team drills. However his eyes had different ideas and were drawn like magnets to Lily's small form.

"For Merlin's sake just go!" Kristina yelled at James from her side of the pitch, sick of him staring at Lily throughout the whole drills. She smirked when James looked at her, surprised, and shrugged a 'what are you going to do about it' shrug.

James zoomed to a graceful stop next to Lily and swung his leg over his broom, dropping to the ground. Lily had an apology on the tip of her tongue but James injected what he had to say before she could, and reminded her of the anger that had transpired. "Lily! I told you to go inside!"

"No I need to talk to you!" Lily replied obstinately, matching his frustrated tone perfectly; they were now standing head to chest and engaging in a full on glaring war.

"Lily," James warned, his tone deadly until she shivered and his heart swelled. He could not bear to see her stand in front of him, dripping, blue lipped and shivering. James sighed deeply at the lack of control he had and nodded his head at Sirius, whom Lily was astounded to see called the team together and they descended like a pack. She did not understand how Sirius knew what James wanted without saying a word.

"Wait here," James said gruffly before striding over to his team. Lily watched as a grin slid onto his face when Sirius ruffled his hair and made him laugh. She stared at him as his hazel eyes glided over each team member, clearly addressing them all individually and giving them tips combined with wild gestures. A smile curved onto her face as she saw the admiration on the faces of his team as he talked to them.

"Great practice guys, sorry about the rain. Friday, 6am don't forget!" James grinned ruefully and the team dispersed groaning loudly and cursing their captain, while trying to get up to the castle as fast as possible. "I'll be up in a bit Pad, take a look at the plans I left on my desk, they're almost finished. I was thinking our friends in Slytherin have got a little bit too comfortable," Sirius and James shared identically smirks at the thought of the evening ahead and the likeness between them was uncanny.

Sirius gripped James' shoulder, a serious look adorning his delicate features. "You'll be alright." It wasn't a question and James was eternally grateful for his brother's support.

Sirius jogged away, catching up with the rest of the team while James turned his back on Lily and put away the beaters bats, quaffels, bludgers and fluttering snitch. His muscles rippled as he lifted the heavy box and gestured with his eyes for Lily to follow him.

"Let me just change," James murmured while strolling over to, what Lily presumed, was his locker. He took out a bundle of clothes and disappeared into a cubicle. Lily barely had time to blink become a shirtless James had appeared, causing her breath to catch in her throat. James did not allow his eyes to wander towards Lily and she was grateful as she could not tear her eyes away from the sight of his perfectly chiselled chest, a product of seven years of quidditch.

James tugged a random shirt over his head, messing up his hair even more than usual, before searching through his locker for a particular item of clothing. Lily watched, enrapt, for no conceivable reason, as he pulled out a jumper and tossed it at her. Lily stared wordlessly at it, unable to phantom why he had given her this item of clothing, until James gave her an odd look.

"I thought you might want to change since you're soaking wet," James said, pointing to her clothes which were clinging to her body like a second skin. Lily mouth opened in a silent 'oh' and she thanked him quietly. James, being the gentlemen he was, turned around to allow her privacy as she stripped herself off her wet shirt and robe and pulled the baggy jumper over her head.

It smelt delicious; it carried James' personal scent and she couldn't resist taking a deep sniff. It was too big for her slight frame, almost coming down to her knees but it was very warm and Lily was thankful. She raised her eyes to James' back and observed him fidgeting for a couple of seconds and silently laughed.

"You can turn around now," Lily informed him and James turned around with a pinkish tint to his cheeks. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and rocked backwards and forwards on his heels while his eyes darted around the changing rooms looking and everything and anything, but her.

"Why won't you look at me?" Lily demanded softly, taking a faltering step towards that made James' breathing rate quicken ever so slightly.

There was a small silence, where James' mouth hung open slightly. "What are you talking about?" James finally questioned, raising his eyes shakily to hers and managing to hold them there for a couple of seconds before dropping them to his shoes which scuffing the floor gently.

"Have I done something? Did I upset you? Because-" Lily asked, desperation lacing her tone for a reason unknown to her.

"Lily stop! Stop! " James exclaimed exasperated; he rubbed his face tiredly and dropped his face into his hands. "You've done nothing wrong," He murmured into his hands.

"Then why…" Lily trailed off, slowly sitting down beside James, trying not to scare him off. James stiffened as his heart pounded, knowing she was so close to him. He was trying to ignore her presence but his attempts were futile; he couldn't see her but he her unique vanilla like scent filled his nostrils as he took struggling breaths and his body felt hot and on alert just from her proximity.

James lifted his head out of his arms and his eyes connected with Lily's; hazelnut brown with golden flecks meeting deep green orbs that reminded him of the ocean. "I-" James faltered and Lily's heart sunk. "I can't tell you," James answered miserably.

"Don't you trust me?" Lily asked vulnerably and James looked alarmed, his eyes widening behind his glasses.

"Of course! Lily-I just-I…I can't I'm sorry." He trailed off pitifully, hating himself for making her doubt their friendship.

"Ok," She whispered, her eyes filled with sadness, "I've umm got to go. I'll see you later?" James nodded and Lily walked out without another word. James' heart plummeted and his head dropped into his heart. He was hurting her by not telling her, but he would hurt them both even more if he did tell her the truth. But the thing that scared James the most was all he wanted to do was take Lily into his arms until everything else was better; nothing seemed worth the price of the sadness reflecting in her emerald orbs; he didn't know if he would be able to live without her this time.


	37. Nightmare

_Well here's a lovely Lily and James scene ;) Just wanted to update you and to tell you the impending 'getting together' of Lily and James is but a chapter or two away, bare with me because I've got something special planned. The reason they're not together yet is because I don't want to rush it. Also wanted to mention, sorry if anyone's upset about the lack of Marauders as a group in this story, I just love James' and Sirius' unbreakable bond so much :) _

Nightmares

James jolted awake at the sound of a heart-wrenching, familiar, scream.

Lily.

He scrambled out of his bed and flew across the hall, hand hesitating on the handle for a millisecond before throwing it open, his wand drawn. But he found Lily alone, squirming in her bed, her beautiful features twisted into terror. She was having a nightmare that much was obvious, but it was only when she sobbed, "Please not James, no!" that he realised she was crying.

James treaded slowly to her side, not wishing to wake her but he couldn't bear the anguish in her features for another second. He bent down so that his breath tickled her cheek and murmured into her ear, "Lily wake up, it's just a dream." When she didn't respond, letting only a small cry pass through her rosy lips, James shook her shoulders gently.

Her eyes ripped open and blinked, confused, until they landed on James. She stared at him in wonder for a couple of seconds, tears still running down her face, until she seemed to realise that it was a dream. Lily bolted upright and flew into his arms, clutching him tightly. "Oh James! You're not dead, oh God James!" Lily cried into his chest and James' arms encircled her small frame, despite the painful pang of his heart as he did it.

"Shush, Lily it's alright love, you're fine, it was just a dream." James soothed, his heart pitter-pattering strongly against his chest and he stroked her hair and held her tightly to him. James couldn't bear holding her like this knowing it didn't mean anything to her, but he couldn't seem to let the crying girl go either.

"But I saw you and you where-you where lying there, and the blood, everyone I cared about was dead. And he stood there laughing and I-" Lily babbled wildly, "Alice! I've got to see if Alice is ok! And Marlene!" Lily babbled, the terror still reflecting in her startled eyes.

"Lily who?" James injected, prying her off his chest so he could stare into her pained orbs. James tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear and let his finger follow the curve down her face and cup her chin so she was forced to look up at him. "Who Lily?"

Lily's lip trembled but from the fire in her eyes James could tell it was not from fear of him, "Lord Voldemort."

James heart plummeted and he felt a wave of pure hatred for the man who made his love cry. He tugged her back into his arms, forgetting the pain it was causing him, and pressed a delicate kiss into her hair. "Lily I swear to you I will never let him hurt you. He will have to kill me first."James vowed seriously, his eyes steeled in a determined manner.

"Don't you see," Lily whispered brokenly, blinking up into James anguished face, "That's what I'm most scared about."

James sighed deeply; she wasn't making this easy on him. "What brought on this dream?" He sat them down on her bed but Lily would not let go of him, choosing instead to sit on his lap. He had trouble regulating his breathing as Lily's bare legs dangled down, touching his. She played with the hem of his shirt and seemed fascinated by it, which James thanked Merlin he had decided to wear to bed that night, before opening her mouth to explain.

"I've been reading the prophet and there are all these deaths. And they're all Muggleborns and people who associate with Muggleborns. I just," Lily took a deep breath and searched James' beautiful hazel orbs, "I can't help thinking it could be me next; my family; my friends who are getting murdered."

Lily looked so vulnerable that James took her in his arms and used every ounce of self restraint he had to stop himself from trying to kiss it all better. Lily slid her arms around his back, feeling his taut muscles through the thin material of his shirt and letting her hands rest on his powerful shoulder blades. She couldn't help but think about how safe she felt in James arms, she felt like nothing would hurt her.

"I'll protect you Lil," James whispered into her ear, missing the shiver that shot down her spine as his lips came into breath contact with her skin. All Lily could think about was the fact he called her Lil; he hadn't called her that in weeks, not since he started acting all weird. A small smile spread across her face as they just sat in their embrace.

Eventually James worked up the willpower to move. Much to Lily's surprise, he lifted them both up before gently placing her underneath her ruffled covers. Before Lily could protest he spoke softly, "Goodnight Lily."

"Please don't go," Lily whispered, catching his hand as he turned to leave. She gripped his warm palm tightly and pulled him back towards her, having to use her entire body weight to pull his unwilling torso to her.

James sighed and avoided her eyes as he faced her, "I don't think that-"

"Please James," Lily begged, her watery green eyes were big and doleful as they pleaded with him, "Please don't leave me,"

"Lily, I _can't_." James croaked, his throat constricting at the hurt and pain on her beautiful face as he walked out the door.

"I'm scared," Lily whispered and James froze in the doorway. Lily could see his resolve visibly weakening as his shoulders slumped and he closed her heavy oak door behind him.

James awkwardly slid into her bed, making sure there was considerable distance between him and Lily. However Lily inched closer until their bare arms touched each other and so they were staring each other straight in the face. James's breath hitched in his throat as her warm skin touched his and he suddenly became hyper-aware of how close she was to him. Lily reached over, brushing the rough skin on his face and making him shiver, to slide off his glasses, placing them on the table beside her.

"Night James," Lily whispered with a small smile as she extinguished the lights, leaving them in a darkness that James was grateful for, so she couldn't see the expression of love on his face.

Lily stretched gently as she opened her eyes to blinding sunlight. She was surprised to find her legs were intertwined; with another pair of legs. Lily's sleepy brain slowly started to take in the surroundings and she realised, after the initial panic, that it was James in her bed. Lily back was pressed closely against James' chest and one of his arms was draped over her protectively. Lily smiled as she realised she was holding James' arm in place but when she released it his arm didn't fall away as she thought it would, instead his grip tightened on her. Lily could feel his face nuzzled into her shoulder, his lips resting innocently on her bare skin, making it tingle.

Lily snuggled closer to James, resisting the urge to twist around so she could stare into his sleeping face. She was slightly alarmed to find that she was quite content to not move from this position for the rest of the morning; she felt safe in James arms. James sighed peacefully in his sleep and she felt a rush of affection for him. How could she have taken so long to realize just how truly wonderful he was?

Too soon a sleepy grunt was heard, waking Lily from the light sleep she had been in. "Lily?" A husky, gravelly voice murmured into her ear.

"Mmm?" Lily answered, really not wishing to face reality. James released Lily reluctantly as she turned around so she could see him, not expecting his face to be so close to hers, they were barely centimetres apart. "Yes?" Lily whispered, trying not to let her gaze yet drawn down to his suddenly very soft looking lips.

"I've got to go," James murmured back hoarsely, searching her eyes for something unknown as he slowly untangled his legs from hers and moved apart, a slight blush scattering across his cheeks as he realised the intimate position they had been in.

"Ok," Lily muttered, ducking her head so he could not see the blush lighting up her cheeks also. "See you later," She gave him a half hearted wave and James felt his heart sink once again as he walked out the door.

"Wait James!" Lily called and James' head popped back round the door, a questioning look on his sleepy face. "Thank you, for last night, it meant a lot to me." James just smiled tenderly and disappeared back around the door without another word.

"You shared a bed with her," Remus winced and put down his book, sharing a concerned look with Sirius as James grunted into a pillow and nodded.

"I don't get it!" Peter moaned, his forehead crinkling with confusion. Suddenly he was annoyed he was left out of all the conversations about girls, just because he had only had one girlfriend.

Sirius rolled his eyes and chucked a pillow at his head, missing him by an inch. "You're so slow Wormy! James wants to jump her bones because he's in love with her, but if he does that then she won't love him back…He can either tell her and probably lose her or he can not tell her and live the rest of his life pretending he is over her when it's so plainly obvious he loves her more than the air he breaths."

The Marauders stared at him in awe-struck silence, "What?" Sirius snapped, "I know some stuff about love."

James gave him a weak smile as he lifted his tortured head, "When we woke up, she was wrapped around me and snuggled against my chest and…It just felt so right, like she was meant to be there." James sighed dejectedly and stared out into the crying sky.

"Maybe she does feel something," Remus offered optimistically, "Why else would she ask you to share a bed with her?"

"She was scared and I was the only one there." James said shortly, not bothering to hide his heart-broken tone. Remus shot him a pitying look despite how much he knew he hated them and chucked him a chocolate frog in the hope it would make him smile.

"Maybe it's time to just accept that she's never going to love you man," Sirius said gently despite the pain it caused him to see his brothers face while he said those words. Sirius moved over to where James was sitting and clasped his brother into a tight hug, "If she can't see that you would be the greatest thing that ever happened to her then she doesn't deserve you Prongs," Sirius said earnestly, still allowing his brother to clutch him tightly in a hug without making any remarks about him being gay.

"You're wrong," James whispered, trying to steady his breaking voice, "It's me who doesn't deserve her, it's always been me. And that's why I'll never have her."

"Prongs it's not true!" Sirius spoke fiercely, his grey orbs alit with fire and passion, "You are the bravest person I know; the kindest person; the smartest. You took me in and made me family when no one else wanted me and you've saved me so many times…If Lily cannot see the amazing person you are, that you love her so much and would do anything for her, then that's _her loss_. But you, you're my brother and I will always love you." Sirius stared fiercely into James eyes, ready to challenge any demeaning thought he had, not even noticing the other two Marauders had left the room.

"Thank you. For everything Padfoot."

_I've been getting a serious lack of reviews lately but a ton of favourite stories and alerts so please just leave me a couple of words, it's much appreciated :) _

_Also I have a question do you think I should end this story when they get together, or at the end of 7__th__ year. I'm not sure yet. Well let me know what you think ;) xx_


	38. Hearts beat for love

_The last couple of updates have come quickly as I've been inspired recently, despite the exams. Anyways I've got my last one on Tuesday so I'll have some more free time to write. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as it's one of my favourites!_

Hearts beat for love

Lily dangled her feet over the edge of the astronomy tower and gazed into the cloudless midnight blue sky. She was thinking deeply, pondering her life, relationships, the future. In her right hand was grasped a letter, the first in seven years from her sister, enclosed was an invitation-to her wedding. Petunia was marrying Vernon Dursley, a boring whale of a man who worked in industry. He was unintelligent, uncharismatic, unromantic and pretty much 'un' anything Lily deemed a good attribute in a partner. Still as Petunia had reminded her curtly, he would provide for her and he loved her, the only things that mattered in life.

Lily's pulse started racing and her cheeks flushed a rose pink as she felt his presence behind her. "Hi," She uttered softly, unsure of whether he would stay. When he chose to sit down next to her her heart leaped and she unintentionally scooted closer to him.

"Hey Lil," James murmured gently, letting his exhausted form collapse just far away from her that they weren't touching. James closed his weary eyes and let his back fall against the hard tiles behind him.

"You ok?" She questioned gently, knowing not to pry if James didn't want to talk. Lily pressed closer to James side, not noticing the slight tension as she did so, relishing in the small amount of warmth he produced.

"Got a lot on my mind," James muttered sleepily, drawing a calloused palm across his closed lids.

"Same here," Lily sighed, crunching the letter that was now a crushed ball in the palm of her hand. James' eyes, involuntarily, drew open at the noise she made and eyed the paper peaking out of her hand with suspicion. He let his eyes wander up her delicate frame and to her face which was set in determination, with a hint of sadness.

"You're upset," James commented, shifting into a better position to view Lily. He watched as her features contorted into denial and then back to determination to put on a brave face.

"My sister is getting married." Lily bit out with a hint of bitterness that was not missed by the raven-haired male sitting next to her.

"I'm sensing I should not send Petunia my congratulations…" James flashed Lily a small grin which fell off his face when it was not returned.

"She hates me. He thinks I'm a freak. The only reason I'm even in her stupid wedding is because my mum forced her to make me a bridesmaid." Lily admitted in a tone laced with bitterness and tinged with hurt. James looked up at her from under his dark lashes and his heart ached as he saw unshed tears burning the backs of her eyes.

"Lily," James implored, his tone begging her to look at him, "She doesn't hate you, she's your sister. And you're _not _a freak."

"I am, see!" Lily cried softly, her anguished tone breaking the silent night. She jabbed at her crumpled letter and James made out the words 'freak' in black inked staining the page. Anger bubbled under the surface of his skin but James pushed it deep down, for Lily's sake.

"She's jealous Lily," James answered truthfully, moving yet closer to Lily so his chin brushed the top of her jumper clad shoulder and his knees swayed against hers.

"Of what?" Lily scoffed, shying away from James' piercing look. She heart was hammering against her ribs in the most unusual way and Lily had butterflies dancing the tango in her stomach; she couldn't remember feeling this way in a long time.

James shook his head in amazement, "That you're so talented, kind-hearted, witty, brilliant, caring and," James whispered, gazing into her eyes and tucked a tendril of red behind her ear so he had an excuse to touch the soft skin of her face, "So very beautiful." James fingers danced over the freckles on her face, tracing an invisible pattern over her face and causing Lily's breathing system to be put into jeopardy.

"Do you really mean that?" Lily breathed, resisting the urge to break eye contact as her cheeks coloured prettily. James nodded in confirmation, his heart slamming against his chest so hard he was sure he was going to break a rib.

Lily dropped her fathomless orbs after a long moment, "It's not why, you know," Lily took a deep breath when James gave her a questioning look, "She's jealous because I'm a witch and she's not." James' jaw slacked in the startling information that didn't fit into the picture he had painted of Lily's elder sister.

"She even sent a letter to Dumbledore asking if she could come…My life would have been so much easier if she had been a witch as well, or if I was never a witch." Lily confessed, something she had never told anyone, but she trusted James, maybe more than she was willing to admit.

The unmistakable sadness that tinted her striking eyes caused unwelcome thoughts to float through his head and he turned to her in repressed alarm, "Do you, ever regret being a witch?"

James held his breath but she answered instantaneously, "Never." A beatific smile graced James lips; Lily was secretly thrilled that she was the cause such a glorious smile, a burst of joy flooded her body as she realised it proved that James did truly care so her.

A shiver ripped down Lily's spine causing goose bumps to break out of her fair skin. James, ignoring the warning bells in his head, just lifted up his arm and allowed her to mould against his body with a grateful smile. Lily snuggled against his side and turned her head so she could stare up into his face which was tilted down towards her. Lily caught her breath as she realised, once again, how beautiful he looked with his tanned skin bathed in the eerie glow of the moonlight.

"James, I'm so glad you're talking to me again." Lily confessed unsure of whether she was crossing some unspoken boundary or not as James' eyes hardened just a touch. But instead of closing himself off from her James buried his head in the crook of her neck and held Lily tightly against him.

"I'm so sorry Lily," James mumbled into her shoulder, his husky tones muffled as he spoke against the cotton of her jumper. "You didn't deserve what I did to you…I'm sorry."

"Why did you do it?" Lily asked softly, cursing herself when the quaver in her voice gave away her carefully concealed emotion and made James pull back to look into her unfathomable jade orbs. James bit her lip briefly causing Lily's attention to be, unintentionally, distracted to his soft pink lips. But James raking a hand through his already ruffled raven locks snatched her gaze away, thankfully before he noticed, and left Lily a delightful shade of crimson.

James picked his words very carefully, "I've been trying to figure something out and, I thought that being away from you might help me."

Lily's brows drew together in confusion and her body stiffened slightly in James' grasp, much to his dismay. "Why? Did it work?" Lily questioned relentlessly, the curiosity apparent in her eyes.

"No," James replied with a sigh, "I still don't know what to do, and the thing is, this could change my entire life." He added with a sideways glance under his lashes which went unnoticed by his companion.

"That big huh," Lily remarked, still unable to keep the curiosity from lacing her tone, "If you tell me about it, maybe I can help?"

"I wish I could…but this is something I have to do on my own Lil," James answered, his tone subtly pleading with her to be cooperative.

But Lily didn't want to let this go, "Do the Marauders know?" She questioned in a manner she prayed seemed casual, her eyes seeming to glint in the moonlight.

James met her stubborn gaze, "Of course." In a flash James knew that was the wrong thing to say when the hurt was evident on her features.

"So you don't trust me like you trust them?" Lily knew she was being irrational, but really when had she ever been rational when it came to James Potter.

"Lily, they're my brothers." James murmured patiently, desperately trying to get Lily to drop the subject that was so close to his heart.

"What and I'm just some stupid girl that you don't trust!" Lily fumed but James knew she just hiding her hurt under the cloud of anger. James silently rebuked himself for not being able to avoid this conversation, the very one he feared because he was so close to spilling out his true feelings to her.

"Lily you're not stupid," James murmured, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her flushed ear. "And I do trust you." James was wearing her down or possibly she was just cold, because she moved back into his embrace to James' relief.

"But clearly not enough." Lily could not resist another jab at James but it truly hurt him to think that she thought he did not trust her. His arms tightened around her, making sure she could not slip away from him.

"Lil, one day I will tell you I promise." James offered Lily her favourite crooked grin and her lips unwillingly turned up at the corners, even though she tried her best to hide it. But Lily knew he was telling the truth, the one thing you could count on with James Potter is he always kept his promises. In that moment Lily realised something, something huge. James had said that one day she would see that all the friction between them was sexually tension and the reason that he irked her so much was because she was undeniably attracted to him. James had _promised _that one day, she would realised she liked him back.

Today was that day.

**L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J**

"ALICE GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU RIGHT AWAY!" Lily screeched, mid panic attack, as she hovered on the verge of hyperventilation on her old bed.

"What's going on Lily!" Marlene asked, sharing a concerned look with Riley as a towel clad Alice joined the circle that was surrounding their head girl.

"Last night I realised something, something very very bad." Lily said quietly, not daring to look any of her friends in the eyes.

There was a long pause and her friends waited impatiently, knowing better than to pester Lily when she was in a mood like this. Lily took a deep breath and while staring determinedly at a crack in the floorboards rushed out, "IlikeJamesPotter."

Alice let out a shriek, her eyes going wide. "WHAT!"

"I LIKE JAMES POTTER OK!" Lily cried, burying her head in her hands at the excited screams coming from her friends.

"Sweet mother of Merlin!" Riley howled, unable to keep in the howls of laughter as she contemplated the hilarity of the situation. "I knew this day would come! The day when Lily finally fell for James! Haha Sirius owes me money."

"What!" Lily hissed, too preoccupied with not passing out to be too pissed off with Riley made a bet with Sirius about her.

"Uh, I'll spilt it with you?" Riley offered quickly because Lily looked like she was about to breath fire and was turning an unnatural, and unflattering, shade of crimson.

"You will not breathe a word of this to Sirius or anyone else." Lily spat out through gritted teeth as she tried to get a hold of the situation. "Oh Merlin! I need to work this out." Lily gasped, taking deep breathes as she tried to calm herself.

Alice sat down beside her and put a reassuring arm around Lily's shoulder, "Lily what's to work out? You like James and he's been wanting to go out with you for _seven_ years, so go out with him!"

There was a pause while Lily let Alice's words sink in but she began to shake her head with conviction, to the surprise of her friends. "I bet he doesn't even like me like that anymore." Lily said glumly, pulling away from the embrace of Alice and staring into the cloudy sky.

"Are you kidding me!" Riley exclaimed, her chocolate curls bouncing as she jumped up, "When he looks at you, it's like he only sees you, like the whole world revolves around you. He loves you Lily.

Lily looked to her other friends for confirmation and ducked her head blushing when they grinned crazily at her. "But I-"

"No buts Lils, enjoy it!" Riley's eyes sparkled at the thought of Lily finally liking James back; he was going to be ecstatic. Now he only needed to ask her out again, but judging by the love apparent in his gaze when he stared after Lily, it was only a matter of time before he did. Riley decided, against her impatient nature, that she should let it happen naturally.

Riley beamed at a blushing Lily, who was recounting the story of how she realised she liked James, as she crossed her long tanned legs over each other and settled on the ground with a book. She was just so glad that James was so close to getting Lily, the love of his life. It gave her hope, that happy endings did exist, and that maybe someday she'd find her own prince charming to sweep her off her feet.

**L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J** **L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J L&J**

_I'm sorry for those of you who thought they would be getting together in this chapter, but I thought it would be too rushed. I don't want to spoil them getting together because I feel it would ruin the story. It took time for Lily to realise her feelings but it was essential before the plotline could evolve. I anticipate that they will be getting together in the chapter after the next one, as I'm still wavering between various ideas of how they will get together. If any of you have any ideas I would appreciate them as I'm still not 100% sure how I'm going to do it. _

_Also sorry for the misleading title, but I really suck at making up titles. The reason for this one is because I was listening to Miley Cyrus' new song 'my heart beats for love' which by the way is amazing and inspired this chapter. _

_Thanks for reading! Please review x_


	39. She said yes

**She said yes**

Lily was hot.

The atmosphere in the Head's meeting was almost tangible. It wasn't tension; it was something else, something less severe, less angry. But it made fire creep into her veins and work its way through her entire body, making her aflame with this strange feeling. She couldn't sit still; drumming her nails frenziedly upon the oak table, jigging her legs so much she kept on banging her knees against James' under the table, causing the breath to catch in her throat heating her face to an unbearable degree, so she seemed almost feverish.

Lily had been tortured this entire meeting; she felt like a tiger in a cage, waiting until the moment she could jump out and be free. She knew she was acting crazy, and that people had noticed (after all it wasn't ever day the head girl lost her cool), but she couldn't stop herself from this neurotic behaviour. She felt too close to James, way too close, the heat trapped between their two bodies was scorching.

And the worse part?

James seemed absolutely fine. But then again why wouldn't he be? He didn't know about her revelation yesterday or the uncontrollable frenzy she had been in ever since. But he seemed completely untouched by whatever...chemical reaction was happening between them. Lily was sure it was not in her mind, sure that he must have felt something, but no. The head boy, perfect as he was, was smiling, chatting and instructing the prefects in the casual yet assertive tone he held.

"Meeting dismissed." James addressed them with a tight-lipped smile, ending what could have turned into a pretty ugly spat between Ronald Conroy-Ravenclaw and Adrian Saner-Slytherin. James sighed and rubbed a hand over his taut face, grasping his hair and pulling it sharply, moaning.

"Don't." Lily commanded in her sweet tone of concern. She reached over to pull his hands out of his hair but when skin touched skin a spark passed through their tender fingertips; Lily retracted her small hand in shock, staring doe-eyed at James.

"I'll see you later," Lily muttered quickly, stumbling backwards and out of the door, pausing only to shoot a confused look at James before tearing off down the corridor.

James slumped in his chair. The meeting had been torture. All he could think about was the...heat between him and Lily; he had never felt something like it before. There seemed to be some electricity between them which was driving him insane. He had always been attracted to Lily, but this was something entirely different; he felt like he was going to lose it if he couldn't have her.

There was only one thing that could solve this problem once and for all. James prayed to every power he could think of that she would agree, because quite frankly he was not sure how he would be able to continue the year with her in such close quarters if she did not.

He was going to ask Lily on a date. For the last time.

Lily woke to the sound of soft music drifting up the stairs to her room. With a yawn, she checked her appearance in the mirror, running a hand through her mused auburn hair, green eyes blinking back at her. The music was still playing and with a slight frown, she descended the stairs to find the source.

Her heart skipped a beat. James. Feeling her cheeks colour almost immediately, she came to a stop on the last step. Her eyes took in everything about him, his physique, his hair, his chocolate orbs and then finally, the shy smile on his lips as he glanced up at her from the parchment he was scribbling on, ebony lock flopping in front of his glasses as he did. Once again, the feeling from the Head's meeting was back and Lily felt a rush of heat spread throughout her. She felt completely lost with this strange feeling and frustrating lack of control and she took a faltering step backwards, ready to bolt back to her room. James sprang to his feet with alarm and moved forwards to stand in front of her.

"Dance with me?" James' cheeks dimpled adorably with a sweet smile as he extended her hand to her. Despite her reservations-about dancing and the unnerving feeling that spread when she was around James-she couldn't resist. She grasped it gently and let him pull her into his arms. Her thoughts flashed back to the night of the Christmas ball, dancing with James for the first time, when he placed her dainty hand in his larger one and the other on his shoulder. James gently placed his other hand on Lily's slender waist and tugged her closer until their chests brushed. Then they started to dance.

Lily followed James' steps, marvelling at how easily he glided across the floor. For an infinite amount of time they danced, Lily's skin tingling with electricity as the distance between them had closed, their fingers touching, and she was almost certain that her racing heartbeat could be heard. Every time she glanced up to James, she found his chocolate orbs fixated on her, and a gorgeous smile that only made the feeling's intensity increase tenfold.

The music slowed and James adapted with it, moving out of the formal hold and delicately tugging Lily's waist so she fell into his body. Lily's unfathomable green orbs gazed into his with an exasperatingly unreadable expression while she stood immobilized. Unsure of what she wanted James slowly took her wrists and guided her arms around his neck, to rest on the nape where his hair curled, waiting for her to protest. But Lily surprised him by relaxing in his hold and swaying to the beat, moving her body slowly in time with his. James sighed happily as she rested her head against his clothed chest, wanting nothing more than to remain in this position forever.

James lowered her into a dip; one hand cradled her waist whilst the other was buried in the red halo that surrounded her head, as the soft song drew to a close. Their faces were barely centimetres apart and Lily felt James warm breath brushing across her cheeks and her lips as he held her. Time seemed suspended as they searched each others' eyes, bodies pressed intimately together, fitting flawlessly. Lily hands moved of their own accord, running through James' thick unruly curls that were so much softer than they seemed. James' eyelids drooped closed when he felt her fingers wind themselves in his locks. He breathed a soft moan of contentment.

It broke the spell.

James' eyes snapped open and Lily ducked her head when their eyes met, cheeks flushing as she stared at a spot on the ground. James sprang apart from Lily, pushing her gently to her feet before turning his back on her with a quiet groan. The sudden loss of body heat made Lily confused-and alarmed as she suddenly realised how safe, warm and utterly happy she'd felt in his arms.

"James?" Lily questioned, unsure if she felt more concerned or embarrassed at what had transpired. She took an unsteady step toward and hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder, hurt flashing across her soft features when his torso tensed. She let her hand slid off his shoulder after that, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

"I'm sorry-I just..." James moaned, tugging at his hair desperately. His expression was so mournful that Lily felt her own heart beat in sorrow. "Lil, please, I have to tell you something, I'm just not sure how you're going to take it..." James hazel orbs peeked through his dark eyelashes to inspect the expression on Lily's face. His gaze drifted down to her defensive stance and a wave of sadness flowed through him. He took Lily's hand, feeling immense relief when there was no resistance, and led her over to stand by the fire.

"Do you remember, that night up on the astronomy tower, when you asked me why I had been ignoring you and I told you that I was trying to figure something out by being away from you?" Lily nodded mutely, not sure why James was bring _that_ up. "Well it's because, I uh, damn this is harder than I thought it would be."

"James, please" Lily pleaded softly, stepping closer to him so that their shadows from the flickering firelight were almost merged. "Tell me what's going on."

James took a deep breath and stared deeply into Lily's emerald orbs, his grip on her hands tightening with fear. "I thought that being away from you would sort out the feelings I started to have...about you." Lily's heart raced and her mouth became dry, did that mean he had been feeling the same things as she had? That the meeting and the sparks when they touched where not her imagination? Was it possible that maybe there was something more between them?

"You are so beautiful Lily," James murmured, softly caressing her cheek. "And the more time I've spend with you has made me realise that we can't be best friends. I realised that I still like you-as _more_ than a friend. And I'm not sure if I can be around you any longer if you don't-" James' voice caught in his throat and his chest tightened at the thought of a world without Lily, "If you don't feel the same way."

Glancing away, overcome, Lily felt his warm hand touch her cheek, tilting it back towards him and so she couldn't avoid his earnest, truthful gaze any longer. Hazel met emerald.

"Lily will go out with me?"

All time seemed to stop at that moment. This was it.

Lily could see it in that moment. His eyes shining honest and true, illustrated how much James truly cared for her, how much he had _always_ cared for her. Lily could see his heart plainly reflected in his shimmering orbs, begging not to be broken once again. And she knew the moment her heart clenched and her stomach tied in knots at the thought of having to say goodbye to James, that she wanted nothing more than to call the beautiful boy in front of her her own.

James' heart was about to burst straight out of his chest, he could feel it. His heart was beating so loud it was like a drum, pounding out a rhythm. He could physically feel his heart breaking as antagonising seconds passed by with no response, and the search of Lily's blank face showed no indication of whether she felt the same way.

Her own heart seemed in tune with his, pleading with her to just answer the question already. She knew what the answer was going to be; maybe what it had always been going to be.

"Yes James," She whispered tenderly, tucking a strand of unruly ebony hair behind his ear so she could stroke the soft skin of his face. "I will go out with you."

James felt his heart leap to his throat in that moment. James gathered her in his arms, words unable to express the joy he felt, and twirled her around as her laugh tinkled around the room in enchantment.

"Thank you Lily, you just made me the happiest man alive." James murmured into her strawberry scented skin, nuzzling her neck gently as he crushed her to his body. Lily was at a loss for words, choosing to bury her head in James' chest and smiling against his shirt as a bubble of happiness threatened to burst out of her chest.

They stood embraced, in the dying embers of the firelight, for in infinite amount of time; simply bathing in the pleasure of having each other at last.

"Lils, I have to go." James whispered regretfully into Lily's scarlet tresses, frowning as a pout puckered his sweetheart's rosy lips. Lily sighed and stared unblinkingly up at James with disgruntled emerald pools from where her head rested in his lap.

James smoothed a stray curl from her face and cupped her chin, giving Lily an Eskimo kiss to make her smile. "Where?" Lily demanded softly, lips curving reluctantly, not wanting to give James up the real world quite yet.

"I have to go tell the Marauders," James muttered shyly, head ducked as rouge colouring his cheeks. "You know-that you said yes. They'll be waiting."

This time Lily did not attempt to restrain the smile that touched her lips at how adorable she found James. "Ok you go tell your boyfriends that you finally got that date you promised me back in first year." Lily teased with a laugh. "Oh and James, tell Sirius thank you for me."

James' forehead creaked with confusion, "For what?"

"For making me see what a truly amazing person you are," She whispered tenderly, dropping a lingering kiss on his cheek before turning to make her way up the stairs to her room. Lily paused at the top and twirled around; she found James in the exact position she left him, hand caressing the spot she kissed as he watched her all the way up to her room. Lily's cheeks flushed and James, noticing she was looking at him, shot her a lazy half grin which made the butterflies in her stomach dance.

Sweet dreams.

His friends looked up as he entered the common room, pausing from their game of exploding snap to survey their best friend. His eyes shone with unshed tears and the grin on his face threatened to split his tanned skin. His cheeks were flushed red with happiness.

He looked like a man who had just had all his dreams made true.

"She said yes." James stated in a daze, causing his friends to freeze in their places, disbelief painting their features. The seconds ticked by, none of the boys able to speak, simply staring at each other in incredulity.

"SHE SAID YES!" James shouted, breaking out of his trance, pumping an ecstatic fist in the air. His friends bowled him over as they piled on him, showering him with their woops of enthusiasm and roars of pride.

"She said yes." He whispered in amazement to Sirius, who paused his ruffling of James' dark locks when they locked eyes.

"Of course she did. You're amazing." Sirius replied simply, a grin overtaking his features as he wrestled his best friend to the ground.

_I love you and soon she will too. _

_LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJL_

_Je finis. _

_The end has come! Well I'm not sure actually, do you guys think I should carry on the story or finish it here? If I don't get many reviews coming in then I'm going to assume that means I should leave it here. Yes that is kind of bribery ;) But I have so many people on story alert and who have favourited it but hardly anybody reviews. _

_Just like to mention the last sentence is Sirius' thoughts! Him and James are kind of telepathic sometimes so you know, do with that what you will. _

_Also special mention to my best friend Lucy who has been an enormous help throughout the entire story, especially when I've had writers block. On this chapter particularly because I was totally stuck with what to do with it before she wrote some and then it inspired me to finish it!_

_If this is the end of alternate ending, wow I'm actually getting sentimental, then I want to thank everyone whose stuck with me from the beginning-2 years ago!-even though I'm awful at updating frequently._

_All my love,_

_Shrimpy xx_


	40. The date

Hi there everyone, I hope you've all enjoyed the summer holidays and are having a good time whether you are back to school yet or not. I apologize hugely for not updating for months but honestly I lost the groove of writing. I found it again today but this is still a very rough piece of work and not one of my proudest chapters, however I felt a compelling need to just get it out there. I'm sorry for not updating but my summer was taking over by uni preparation and working out what I was going to do with my life, I'm sure at least some of you can sympathize.

Anyway enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think.

As always,

T x

The date

"I can't do this. I'm going to throw up." James had turned a colour that vaguely resembled the colour of the frog Peter had sat on-and subsequently killed- the night before. Sirius rolled his mocha eyes and grabbed James tanned forearm, yanking him back from the doorway as he tried to dash to the bathroom.

Sirius pushed his best friend against the worn walls, scarred by burn marks, holes and other evidence of pranks gone wrong. "Man up Prongs! You are not going to throw up! Stop being a little girl," Sirius shook James' shoulders and peered into his hazel eyes, softening his tone a little when he saw the worry reflected back at him. Sirius nudged his best friend when his hazel gaze dropped to the scuffed wooden floorboards beneath their bare feet. "What are you so worried about eh? You're James Potter, ladies man, Maruader..."

"And she's Lily Evans, way out of my league." James interrupted; biting his lip and lifting his eyes, letting his best friend stare into the window of his soul. Sirius searched his eyes, a frown puckering his brow when he saw the depth of James' anxiety. He truly didn't understand how special he was.

"No one is out of your league."Sirius said sharply, forcing down the urge to shake his best friend until he could finally see what Sirius did. Sirius gaze pinned James to the wall and the intensity made him squirm.

"You have to say that, you're my best friend." James grumbled, accompanied by a deep sigh that rumbled its way from the base of his chest. It seemed the euphoria of Lily saying yes had worn off into panic about living up to the high expectations that had been set.

Sirius folded his arms and planted his feet squarely, silently showing James the gravity of his words. "I'm not your best friend Prongs, I'm your brother. The only thing I'm obligated to do is tell you the truth." At this statement James couldn't help but let a diminutive smile curl the ends of his lips up and slowly take over his whole face.

"I love you," James grasped Sirius and held him tightly, trying to savour the little moments he had with his friends.

"Enough of the mushy stuff, yeah? We're starting to turn into chicks." Sirius answered gruffly, but unable to keep the smile off his face either, and James nodded, letting Sirius out of his embrace with a wide grin. Sirius ruffled James' hair in a brotherly fashion and James' didn't even bother pretending to let a scowl take over his grinning face. "But I love you too...now get in the bathroom! Merlin knows it's going to take a miracle to get perfection like this!" Sirius waved a hand down his body, shaking his long ebony locks out of his face arrogantly, ignoring the snorts of Remus and Peter who were rousing from sleep.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night Pad," James shot back with an impish smile, before finally disappearing into the bathroom.

Lily scanned the corridor worriedly; James was already 5 minutes late, maybe he wasn't coming? Maybe he had changed his mind. Oh Merlin she knew she should have never said yes, should have never let him into her heart. Stupid stupid girl.

Without warning she felt two warm hands cover her eyes; a smile lit up her face as her body reacted immediately letting her know it was James.

"Guess who?" Came a low rumble of James' distinctive voice in her voice, sending a delicious shiver up her spine.

"James," She breathed, turning around to find him standing before her, looking adorably flushed and excited, her favourite crooked smile hanging off his lips and his hazel orbs sparkling with animation.

"Sorry I'm late, Sirius spent about 40 minutes in the bathroom fixing his hair," Lily laughing turned into a delighted gasp as James pulled out a red rose from his back pocket and wrapped her fingers around it. "And I wanted to get you this,"

"Thank you, it's beautiful," Lily's smile dazzled James and her soft embrace made him weak-kneed. He held her in his arms a moment longer than was acceptable for a first-date, letting his cheek rest against her flawless one, breathing in the scent that was so distinctly Lily with a sense of homecoming.

Both of their faces were dusted with rogue as they broke apart, Lily's darkening as James captured her hand in his and gently pulled her towards the exit, their hands tingling the whole way.

"This way," James held a branch back so Lily could pass, not missing the slightly hesitant look that passed her face as the sounds of Hogsmeade started to drift away. A frown marred his features for but a second before his trade-mark confidence in everything he did returned. James recaptured her hand and tugged her closer to him under the guise of pulling her away from the brambles, a knowing smile passed across Lily's lips and she darted a sensuous look at him from under her fair eyelashes.

"James," Lily sighed in exasperation as she almost tripped over yet another branch springing from the ground, "Where are we going?" She glanced backwards to see Hogsmeade had faded into a blanket of browny-orange leaves and bare trees.

"It's a secret," James smirked, playfully lifting an eyebrow and nudging her gently.

"Of course, James Potter couldn't do the normal 3 Broomsticks date, you had to go for something out of the ordinary." Lily shook her head, fake grumbling as they clambered over another fallen log.

"I'm James Potter, I could never be ordinary." James grinned, his face threatening to split in half as he bounded ahead, pulling the slower Lily along with him.

"And I wouldn't want you to be," Lily said shyly, delighting in the fact she caused a rogue to colour James' cheeks.

Green met hazel and the world spun.

Their eyes disconnected and they gasped, drawing air into their lungs simultaneously, hands still gripping tightly. They stood for a moment in the silence, with only the trickle of water and whisper of birdsong to interrupt.

James disentangled his fingers from Lily's and felt the loss immediately, craving the warmth that spread through his body when her tiny fingers clutched his. A fleeting look of rejection darkened Lily's features and her heart dropped, before James' mischievous smile and "Race you?" made her heart jolt with childish joy. Lily barely had time to see the challenge spark in his eyes before James took off down the path in front of them, sending her a wink over his fast retreating shoulder.

"I don't ever know where we are going!" Lily shouted after James with a laugh, tearing after him down the grassy track. Lily followed James' footsteps and shouts, keeping him barely in sight, laughing with him at the exhilaration and feeling of freedom.

Lily tumbled into the clearing after James, a squeal falling from her lips when arms caught her from behind and twirled her round, her feet spinning off the floor. "James!" She scolded without heart, finding herself trapped in his hazel gaze once again. James lowered her to the floor slowly, taking his time to enjoy the feel of her caged in his arms, her warm body pressed against his. James inhaled her light floral scent and let his arms fall to his sides, stepping out of the way so Lily could what was behind him.

Her eyes grew wide, "Oh James, it's perfect." Behind James lay a picnic blanket and basket, filled with all her favourite foods. Flickering flames were dancing in candle holders, hovering around the trees. It was simple, yet beautiful.

"Shall we?" James smiled smugly, pleased with her reaction, and offered her his coat covered arm.

"We shall."

"You hardly expect me to believe they are not for you James Potter," Lily raised a sceptical eyebrow, fighting the keep the smile off her face-she seemed to always have to fight them around James.

"Lily, I am Head Boy, do you really think I would be so irresponsible as to get these all for me?" James question was asked with a mask of utmost innocence, the kind that made you ashamed to have even thought of accusing him of anything. That was until a smirk crept onto his face and he rattled the overflowing bag of Zonkos goodies in her face.

"Damn you James Potter." Lily grumbled half heartedly, "You are far too good a manipulator to give anyone a chance." The gorgeous git just grinned.

"Where do you want to go now love, it's not quite time to leave?" Lily's heart fluttered at the endearment he used, and Lily cursed her weakness for his charms.

"Honeydukes?" Lily suggested and James nodded enthusiastically, his windswept ebony locks flying around his face as he did so.

"I'm running low on my stash to bribe Moony with." Lily could do nothing but shake her head at his childishness and be glad that part of him still remained untouched by the horrors of the outside world.

The door tinkled pleasantly as they strolled into the shop. They perused the aisles quickly, gathering what sweets and treats they wanted and ignored the blatant staring. For the first time that day Lily was glad that she had relinquished James' hand. "You finished?" James whispered lowly, seemingly indifferent to the stares of all the Hogwarts students. Lily nodded, eager to get away from everyone's judgemental gazes, it wasn't any of their business whether she and James were dating, Lily huffed internally. They shuffled towards the cashier and Lily paused while James paid for his mass of chocolate frogs and sugar quills. Lily then dumped her armful of sweets onto the counter, almost losing a couple of the flying Frisbees.

"That's two galleons and 5 knuts," The bored frizzy haired blonde behind the counter sighed. Lily fished in her bag for the correct change but James beat her two it, paying for her sweets with a winning smile towards the dubious looking cashier.

"James you didn't have to do that, let me pay you back!" Lily protested as James swept her sweets into a bag and started towards the door.

"Forget about it Lily," James called over his shoulder, losing her in the throng of students that frequented the shop.

"James, please" Lily said as she managed to wrestle her way out the flop, albeit with a flushed face and wild hair.

James placed his hand on Lily's and looked deeply into her eyes, "Please Lily, we are on a date, let me pay for your things." James pleading expression melted her stubborn nature as they started the long walk back up to the castle.

"James I think someone's following us," Lily whispered a few minutes later, breathing hot air into James ear, causing a shiver to snake its way down his spine. James wrapped his arm around Lily and pulled her tight against her body, her fingers clutching onto the buttons of his coat, one hand on the handle of her wand. James glanced covertly behind him, one hand slipped into his pocket cradling his wand while the other was wrapped protectively around Lily, and laughed.

"It's just Sirius, Remus and Peter spying on us, you can come out guys." He called and after a lot of shuffling and a slither of silver material that promptly disappeared, a sheepish Sirius, Remus and Peter materialized.

"It was Moony's idea to follow you two; he was desperate to see how the date went." Sirius drawled unconvincingly, strolling towards James with an unusually warm smile as his gaze fell on James' arm, still wrapped around Lily's petite shoulders.

"Of course it was Padfoot," James shared a roll of his eyes with Remus and a long telling look with Sirius before he was towed off. "Sorry about that," James apologized, letting his gaze linger on the brilliant red of the crown of Lily's head.

"I think it's sweet," Lily professed, emerald orbs shining with respect, "That they care so much about whether you are happy. They really love you."

James shrugged, his eyes smiling as they followed his friends jostling silhouettes back to the castle. "They are my brothers."

The rest of the walk was filled with companionable silence, swinging hands and sly glances, in the fading light of the day. The silence was broken by the roar of the fire as they stepped into their common room, enveloped by the warmth and cosiness of the room.

"Lily," James voice was a low tenor, emotion making his voice huskier than usual. "Thank you. That date...meant more to me than I can express." His eyes searched Lily's, the sincerity of his words shining through his hazel orbs. "I hope it lived up to your expectations." A touch of insecurity made James seem even more attractive to Lily as his gaze dropped from hers to stare at his feet.

Her sweet, tender voice brought his eyes back up to hers, "It exceeded anything I could have ever have dreamed. It was the perfect first date." Lily squeezed James hand; he tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear and pressed a gentle kiss onto her cheek.

"Does this mean I get a second date?" His eyes were so hopefully pathetic they were starling and seemed as far away from the cocky James that most of the world got to see that they could be. Lily bobbed her head and the look of unadulterated elation on James' face made her eyes grow moist.

They walked up the stairs hand in hand and the only thought on both of their minds was how right it felt.

"Padfoot," James' muffled voice greeted Sirius and Lily could hear the smile on James face. She wondered absent-mindedly whether Sirius had been waiting in James' room for the whole time until he got back. Lily pressed her ear to the wooden oak door to hear James voice more clearly.

"You look happy," Sirius' sleepy voice floated through the door to Lily, a low rumble. "How did it go?"

"It was better than I ever dreamt it could be. I didn't know someone could make me feel so complete." Lily wrapped her arms around herself, happiness seeping through her body. That was all she needed to hear. Lily quietly padded to her own room, brushed her teeth and slid underneath her silk covers. As she slept, a soft smile lay dormant on her lips, a silent reminder of young love.


	41. Epilogue

_Well this is the end my darlings. _

_Nearly 3 years after I published this, I have finally come to the end of the story. To me it feels like the right time, I didn't want to ruin the story by lots of pointless chapters of them dating. I suppose my decision was influenced by me being in my final year of school and of the feelings I have about leaving, but I think this chapter stays true to the characters this story is centred around. _

_I would like the thank everyone who has been reading this story, whether from the beginning or not and I am truly grateful for all the encouraging words, all the favourites and story alerts. I would especially like to thank my best friend Lucy, who has always been there when I needed a helping hand on any chapters or some fresh ideas. I hope you all enjoy the last chapter of alternate ending and pray it lives up to your expectations. _

_Much love,_

_T x_

_Epilogue_

"Whatcha doing?" Sirius mumbled, voice muffled by the yawn that escaped his lips. He slid his bare back down the cold wall, his chin resting on his knees as he stared at his pensive best friend.

James' hazel orbs shifted from the dusty fog that was settling across the water of the Black Lake, to Sirius' face. He paused for the briefest second then, "I'm going to ask her to marry me Padfoot-today."

There was a stunned silence; Sirius eyes widened considerably and he let out a barking laugh. "You're fucking mental Prongs! You know that?" Sirius shook his head; a huge grin lighting up his face.

James' heart swelled at his brother's acceptance of the biggest decision of his life. A smile curled his lips; an air of happiness surrounded the boys, sitting in the early morning light. "I love her Padfoot, that's never going to change. I've loved her forever and I want to be with her until my dying day, no matter how far away...or close that is."

A shadow passed over James' face and Sirius' smile diminished immediately. "Don't talk like that Prongs," His voice was sharp, the edge making it seem rougher than usual.

James sighed, the weight of the world on his slim shoulders. "I can't help it Pads. People are dying, everyday, good and bad. We've leaving school today and then it could be us." He dropped his head, determinedly staring at his bare feet.

Sirius surveyed his friend for a moment before deciding to do what he did best: lightening the mood. He launched his self at his best friend, pushing him to the ground before playfully ruffling his hair. "We're the Marauders mate. The most talented, the cleverest, most brilliant, handsomest" Here Sirius wiggled his eyebrows and James took the opportunity flip them and pin him to the ground, laughing at Sirius pout when he went for the hair. "men of our generation. No one's going to touch us. Old Voldy's probably quaking in his bed at the thought of us being let loose."

James shook his head, a smile fighting its way onto his lips, despite the heaviness of his feelings. "Cocky bastard."

"That's what they call me. Now get off me you fat lump!" Sirius shoved James to the floor, scooting back to the wall, but instead of going back to the other side of the window he sat next to James, shoulder to shoulder. Unconsciously moving to the position they would always be in, would always fight in, always sleep in, always live in; next to each other. "Seriously Potter, lose some weight, Lily's not going to want to marry someone obese, when she can have someone like moi," He waved a hand down his perfectly toned body with an air of arrogance only he could get away with. James laugh faded quickly, fitting the pensive atmosphere of the morning.

The two boys sat in silence for a while, each pondering what the future would bring. Sirius uncommon softly spoken words broke the quiet of the morning.

"I never told you...that night, our first day here, you cried out her name in your sleep."

James whipped his head from the window to Sirius and was met by steady, serious eyes that spoke only of the truth. James' eyes softened, "I guess my heart knew before my head I was going to marry her someday." They shared a soft smile that they would ashamed to let anyone else see.

Sirius knew his heart better than anyone else in the world. Better than James himself. He knew this was the right thing for James, the only thing that would make him happy. Other people would say they were crazy, that they would never last, but Sirius knew the truth. He knew that his brother would do anything for Lily, would die for Lily.

James looked up and turned his gaze to the man at his side, "Will you be best man?"

His heart flashed in his eyes, Sirius not even trying to keep his face blank. Sirius clasped his brother in a tight hug that spoke the loving words he couldn't bring to pass his lips. "Was there ever any doubt about it?" James returned his embrace equally strongly, breathing in the scent of his best friend, of his brother, of the person that would never leave his side.

They separated and James let a joking smile curve his lips upwards, creasing his eyes. "Well you know, cousin Charlie has always wanted it. He might fight you for it."

"Let him bring it, everyone knows a brother trumps a cousin, especially from a smarmy prat like Charlie."

James laughed loudly, "Can't deny that. Besides I think mum would have my head if anyone else had the honour. Probably never speak to me again."

Sirius smiled secretly and didn't speak the words of gratitude he felt, the warm feelings he got when James talked of his family-of their family. And now they were going to build a new family. A family that would be build on love and trust and everything that was good in the world.

They were sitting under their favourite beech tree by the lake; his head was resting on her lap as her hand gently wove through his unruly hair, massaging his scalp soothingly, fingers dipping to caress his cheek every so often. Lily could not remember being more at peace than she did in this moment. The feeling of being in the present, just being there, when she was with James was magical. Everything else fell away. When she was with James she felt like she was home. She always felt more herself when she was with James than when she was with anyone else, or even by herself. James...loving, comforting, wonderful, sexy, loyal, beautiful James. Lily didn't know what she'd done to deserve James, or even how she'd ever existed without him. He now consumed her every thought, whether waking or dreaming. She yearned to be with him, even when only separated for an hour. She loved him...

Lily stared out at the outline of the castle, illuminated by the fading sun. In her mind, memories were playing out, flickering through her best and worst times at Hogwarts. Following every argument with James, every furious and passionate word thrown at him, following every lesson where magic once again captivated her, following every laugh with her friends. She would miss them. The ache in her heart had been growing each day with the thought of leaving Hogwarts, of leaving her home, her friends, the security of being safe.

"James I don't know what I'm going to do without Hogwarts, without my friends, without you. How can the real world ever compare? How can I ever be as happy there as I am here?" James shifted his head in her lap and stared up at Lily with wise eyes that had seen more than any boy of eighteen should have. He captured her hand and intertwined their fingers, pressing a kiss to her knuckles before speaking.

"Lily, you can't be afraid of change. Sometimes change is bad, but sometimes it brings the most unimaginable pleasure. Look where we would be if you hadn't been willing to change our relationship. You would still hate me...sometimes you've just got to leap, not knowing whether you are going to fall or fly-and this is one of those times. But whatever happens, I will always be there for you. Nothing could ever change that, no change of scenery, no distance, no amount of time, nothing."

James sat up suddenly and crawled onto his knees, taking both of Lily's hands in his and staring at her with an intensity that was not in James' expressions. "Lil, I've got to tell you something and I don't want you say anything until you hear me out. Ok?" She nodded quickly, a frown marring her features at the seriousness that laced his tone.

"Lily, I fell in love with you the second I laid eyes on you. You bumped into me as we were waiting for the sorting hat, and your red hair got caught on my button. I knew then it was fate that we should meet...Lily the day that you said yes to me, was the happiest moment of my life. I love you more than anything else in the world. You are perfect, so sweet, so caring, yet so fiery and the smartest witch I've ever had the fortune to meet-pureblood or muggleborn." Here, James broke his speech to caress the flush that was heating Lily's cheek with his praise. He pressed his lips lovingly against hers, eyes searing into hers, for a second before continuing. "Lily, when we leave Hogwarts today, I'm signing up to the Order of the Phoenix. We're at war, and I'm going to fight. I'm going to fight for all the innocent people; I'm going to fight to protect you and all the people like you. And if I die, the only regret I would have is not having you as my wife." James dropped to one knee, eyes searing into her soul. "Lily, will you marry me?"

The tears that had filled Lily's eyes during his declaration now rolled down her cheeks, and she nodded numbly, speechless. With his eyes so full of love, so full of passion how could she do anything else. "Yes James, yes I'll marry you." Her laugh of pure joy tumbled out of her mouth with a sob as James crushed her to his chest and twirled her around, one hand anchoring her to his body while the other was buried in her scarlet locks. When he finally put her down he peppered, desperate, ecstatic kisses up her neck, finally sealing his lips to Lily's with a look so moving, so full of joy that she wanted to stop in that moment, forever. His lips moved slowly over hers, savouring the moment and making sweet love to her mouth. His tongue worshiped every crevice of her warm mouth and danced with her tongue, twirling and dipping until Lily was dizzy from pleasure. The passion his kiss brought was accompanied by a swell of love.

"I will spend forever, trying to be worthy of you. But I promise I will love you as you deserve." James whispered into her ear, his sweet breath fanning across her face and making her shiver.

Lily shook her head, eyes brimming with tears and took James' face between her hands. "James, it is I who have never deserved you. You are so loyal, so brave, so full of love for everyone; it doesn't matter if they are your best friend, a little first year or a hot-headed, stubborn red headed girl who didn't deserve your admiration." James tried to butt in but Lily pressed a finger to his lips and continued despite the tears flowing down her eyes. "You are respected above all others, not just for being Head Boy or being Quidditch Captain, but because people look up to you and aspire to be like you. Your courage knows no bounds and I want you to know that when you join the Order of the Phoenix, I'll be going with you. I want to fight beside you-always."

They embraced emotionally, whispered words of love and hope uttered, heard only by themselves.

"I love you Lily, more than I ever thought possible."

"I love you James-forever."

It was sealed with a kiss. A kiss of true love. A kiss that spoke of never ending passion, of an emotion so fierce that even in death it lived on.

Four boys, sworn brothers, were silhouettes in the fading sun, watched by perhaps the greatest wizard of all time, dreaming of the great things they would do. Dreaming of the battle they would soon face, of the courage they would have to exhibit, of the friends they would need to depend on, of the love that would be needed to get them through unscathed.

Only when the sun dipped beneath the horizon did they turn away from the place that had been their home for the past seven years. Only then did they embark on the journey that would mark the beginning of their lives, of their destiny. The four boys solemnly left their home behind and walked, shoulder to shoulder, to the steaming engine had marked the beginning of the best years of their lives, and now marked the end, but marked the start of the rest of their lives.

A red-headed girl joined them and slipped her hand into his fiancées, her look a silent declaration of her emotion of the loss of their childhood. Her fiancée draped his arm over the shoulder of his brother, not needing words to tell him how he was feeling.

Silence surrounded the three people tied together by love and a friendship that would stand the test until the end of time. Three people, three extraordinary people: two whose love would make the most famous child of all time, destined to defeat the dark lord, one who would be loyal until the very end, who would die fighting and protecting that same boy who he loved like his parents did. Three people, walked to meet their destiny, to see if they could make, an alternate ending.

_The end. _


End file.
